Time for Change
by Lucinda
Summary: Crossover with the Mummy Returns. Glory tries to remove Willow from Sunnydale by flinging her into the past. Then her adventure begins... Minor revisions have been made.
1. parts 1 to 25

author: Lucinda

rating: pg 13

pairing: starts Willow/Tara, has Willow/William friendship, will become Willow/Ardeth Bey

disclaimer: I own nobody from Buffy. I own nobody from the Mummy 1 or 2 either.

Distribution: I've told some people they may, others please ask.

….

They had been trying frantically to find information on the new major evil of the Hellmouth. This evil wasn't an obsessive vampire, or an evil mayor. Her name was Glory, well, she was calling herself that anyhow. She looked like a beautiful woman with blond curls, wore designer dresses, and hit harder than Buffy. Buffy's Slayer senses screamed every time the being was near, screaming the she was evil and dangerous and powerful.

Buffy and Glory had fought, and Buffy had been left sprawled at the base of a concrete pillar. Glory had tossed her around like a scarf, and walked away. She hadn't considered Buffy to be a threat, and since Buffy hadn't been able to so much as break a nail on Glory it looked like she just might be right in that assessment.

That was why they were researching, trying to learn what Glory was, and hopefully how to defeat her. They weren't having much luck. As near as they could tell, if there was anything in the books, they didn't have enough information to recognize it. Willow was on the couch, flipping though a thick green book, her girlfriend snuggled up next to her with a square brown book written in German. After hours of searching though old books, many handwritten, the whole group was tired and frustrated. They had found a great deal of nothing helpful.

Standing up and stretching stiffened and cramped muscles, everyone separated to go to their respective homes. Buffy went home, muttering about Dawn had better have her homework finished and be in bed asleep. Xander and Anya went home, Anya trying to figure out how much time they still had for sex. Willow and Tara, holding hands set out for their apartment. They were murmuring little sweet nothings, complimenting each other, each telling what they loved about the other.

They were interrupted by a large figure, growling and charging into the couple. A vampire, over six feet tall, very solid, and very hungry. He thought the two girls looked perfect for a midnight snack. Tara shrieked, frantically searching her purse for a cross or holy water. Willow fell to the ground, looking up to see the vampire grab her girlfriend, intending to drain her.

Willow didn't even pause - she chanted a few words in Greek, and threw a small ball of flame at the vampire. With a loud roar, the vampire burst into flames, dropping Tara to the sidewalk before dissolving into smoking ashes. Tara remained on the sidewalk, staring at the ashes of her attacker, her breathing rapid.

"Tara? Sweetie, are you okay? I think maybe we should get home before we have any more unexpected company." Willow was worried about her girlfriend. Tara was very pale, her eyes wide and she was almost hyperventilating. The sooner they could get to the safety of their home, the sooner she could make sure Tara was okay.

end part 1.

They had still not found much on Glory. Buffy and Willow were patrolling in the cemeteries, and Willow was helping Buffy to review some of the material for their psych class. Tara had been unable to join them and had volunteered to help Anya run the shop while Giles did more research. Willow had hoped that she and her girlfriend could have some time together, walking under the stars, but it seemed that that wouldn't be happening tonight.

Buffy was looking for some vampires or demons, something to cover the fact that she hadn't paid enough attention to the chapter on depression. If they had to get rid of some minor nasties, the quizzing about the chapter would end. She gasped in horrified dismay. Surrounded by about six little wrinkled brown creatures with hooked noses was Glory, wearing a shimmering gold dress that ended about half way down her thighs. She looked to be giving orders to the other creatures.

"That's Glory! What's she doing here?" Uncertain as to the motivation of the dangerous woman, Buffy moved in closer, trying to overhear the orders being given to the minions. She had a feeling that it might be useful to know what Glory wanted.

"You are supposed to go find me a decent shampoo, something that will leave my hair smelling nice. As for the rest of you, I want my Key back! So go out and start looking." Glory tossed her mane of perfect curls, impatient to reclaim her Key and frustrated at the feeble resources of this miserable town.

"Buffy?" Willow whispered to her friend, trying not to attract the attention of the minions. "What's this Key thing? I don't think she just needs to get back into her house, or start her car." She could feel the power emanating from Glory. It flowed like dark honey, oozing over everything and leaving a feeling of stickiness and a feeling as if she had been covered with a film of something greasy. It was not a pleasant feeling. She felt dirty.

Buffy moved towards Glory, intending to try to delay or stop the dangerous being. She was tense, ready for the conflict. Glory looked relaxed, merely irritated by the Slayer's challenge.

"Slayer, Fluffy was it? Where's my Key? If you give it to me, I can let you leave, maybe even live." Glory looked irritated.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about, what Key?" Buffy was confused. She had no idea what this key was, but didn't intend to let Glory have it.

"Alright, I've tried to be reasonable. I know that those blasted monks sent the key to you, so WHERE IS IT?" Her voice rose into a shout at the end, and Glory picked Buffy up by her jacket, shaking the slayer like a rag-doll.

Buffy gasped, and kicked out, connecting to Glory's stomach. Outraged, she dropped Buffy to the ground. "You got mud all over this dress! Now, I'm going to have to hurt you."

Willow could tell that Buffy was no match for Glory. There had to be something that she could do... Willow remembered the teleportation spell that she had found in one of Giles' books. She had tried it a few times, but still didn't have any control over where the object would end up. As long as Glory was away, she didn't see the danger.

Willow reached inside herself for the pool of power that enabled her to work magic. She began to chant the words softly, focusing her will on sending Glory far away. She felt something resisting her spell, as if Glory were anchored by something. Willow poured more power into the spell, concentrating.

With a loud angry shriek, Glory vanished in a shower of green and gold sparks. Buffy was picking herself up from the ground, her cheek already turning purple, a cut over her cheekbone from the force of Glory's fist.

"Where did she go?" Buffy had seen the sparks, and knew that Glory had vanished, but she wasn't sure if it had been the other blonde's intention.

"Umm, I'm not sure. I still haven't got all the bugs worked out of that teleportation spell." Willow felt a slight tickle in her nose, and wiped away a thin trickle of blood. Her head was pounding. "Can we go back now? I think that took a lot out of me."

They headed back to the Magic Box, pondering what the Key could be, and why did Glory want it anyhow?

end part 2.

Willow and Buffy had returned to the Magic Box, both eager and in a hurry, but for different reasons. Buffy wanted to tell Giles what they had learned, in hopes that they could get answers now, even if only about this Key. Willow wanted something for her head, which felt like it had a rock concert going full blast inside her skull. That was all she wanted, she wasn't worried about vampires, demons or homework, just getting something to dull the pain before her head exploded, which might happen, this being the Hellmouth.

Willow went directly to the cabinet that Giles used to store all the first aid supplies, and pulled out a bottle of Excedrin migraine. She opened the bottle, and shook out three of the small pills, before swallowing them down. She put the bottle away, and helped herself to a cup of tea. Sipping at her tea, she rejoined the others, sitting down beside Tara, seeking the comfort of her girlfriend's presence. Buffy was telling Giles about their encounter with Glory, holding an ice pack against her bruised cheek.

"So, Buffy. How did you manage to get away if this Glory is so powerful?" Giles was worried and concerned. He was polishing his spotless glasses on the hem of his shirt, clearly trying to maintain a semblance of calm.

"Well, right as she was about to kick my head in, she just poofed. Big cloud of green sparkles, and she was gone. Willow teleported her somewhere." Buffy's voice was quiet, a bit rueful that she'd needed saving, a lot concerned because of how powerful Glory had been.

"Willow, can we talk in the other room?" Tara leaned over and whispered into her girlfriend's ear. The two then slipped into the back room while Giles was trying to get as much information from Buffy about what Glory had been seeking as he could.

"Tara? What's the matter, you look very worried?" Willow's head was still throbbing, but she was feeling a bit less pained. She had a feeling that Tara was upset, and wasn't certain she'd like the answer to her question.

"I think you're using too much magic. It's not a toy, and whenever something happens, the first thing you do is use magic to try to fix it!" Tara looked far more lively than she had earlier.

"I only used it to save Buffy tonight, and last night to save you! I'm not the Slayer, I can't pummel a vampire into submission." Willow had the feeling that Tara had brooded over this all day. That didn't bode well for the coming discussion.

"There are other ways! Like a stake, or holy water, or avoiding danger. Most people live their whole lives without using magic to deal with their problems. You always have a good reason, but you keep using magic. It's like an addiction to you!" Tara's words were nervous, afraid.

Willow felt stung to the core. Why would Tara be afraid of her? "Tara? I'm not addicted. I just don't have other options sometimes. I'd rather use magic than become the latest casualty of some slimy thing."

"See, you always have a reason! How do I know that you aren't using magic for other things? What's to stop you from using magic because it's convenient? How do I know you won't start magicking things to go how you want them to?" Tara sounded almost hysterical, heedless of the attention that she was drawing from the other room.

Willow's voice was soft, hurt that her lover could have so little confidence in her. "I wouldn't do that to someone that I love. If you know anything about me, you should know that. Maybe it would be best if I spent tonight somewhere else."

Willow turned her back on her lover and walked out, past her friends and out the door. Her parents were away, but she still had some things at the house. She could stay there tonight, instead of with her lover that feared her.

end part 3.

She had argued with Willow. Tara thought that Willow used her magic too often, too easily. If she turned to magic all the time, her powers might fail when she needed them most, tapped dry by using her power to open doors and mend torn clothing. Tara was so busy worrying about Willow overusing her powers that she didn't notice the small brown creature following her.

When the thing grabbed her, putting one gnarled hand over her mouth, all she could think to do was struggle and try to scream. Tara was too weak to escape the things grasp, and she was carried thrashing into a warehouse. Her mind was blank with fear.

The end of the warehouse held a huge bed and had been converted into a lavish living area, decadent with every conceivable luxury. The bed was done in silks and velvets, with expensive rugs covering the floor. Standing in the middle of the decadent luxury was a beautiful blond woman with curls, wearing a deep crimson dress.

"Oh Glorious One, I have brought you this unworthy offering, in hopes that you might find some measure of use from her." With those words, the small creature thrust Tara towards the blond woman, that had to be Glory.

Tara knew that this would be bad. The woman looked entirely healthy, but annoyed. Tara could feel her power, crawling over her like ants, prickling at her skin and leaving this gritty feeling, like dust on sweat. She was afraid now.

Suddenly, Glory looked at Tara, who was sprawled trembling on the ground before her, and smiled. "I think I could use a quick pick me up."

She seized Tara by one arm, hauling her roughly to her feet. With a look of sadistic glee, Glory reached her other hand towards Tara, and her fingers began to sink into Tara's skull. Tara screamed in fear and agony, but she knew, even as the waves of pain overcame her, turning the world into a red that faded to black that nobody could save her tonight.

Glory dropped the still twitching body to the floor, allowing it to fall on the green Turkish carpet like a discarded wrapper falling to the ground. She turned, and walked over to the large mirror, where she began twisting her hair into different styles, trying to decide if there was one she liked.

"Someone dispose of the leftovers. You actually did quite well, she had some useful information about the Red Witch. Seems Red's quite the computer whiz, and she's good friends with the Slayer. If I get rid of her, I've removed the only threat I've seen in this miserable little town. Now, I don't want to let her see me working at it, she might be able to disrupt a spell. How to remove her from the equation…" Glory stood there for a few moments, tapping her lips thoughtfully with a finger.

"I think I'll just remove her. Send her out of this time completely. Where to put the computer genius... I think a time without them. Better yet, a time without computers and a really ambitious guy after my own heart. Well, actually, he wasn't after me, but I did like his style.. Red has power, but not too much training. She'd fail miserably against one of the most powerful magi of the ancient world. Hmmm if I send her back too far, her arrival alone could help win her allies, that just won't do." She was now pacing along the warehouse.

One minion removed Tara's corpse, obviously intending to remove it from the presence of the Glorious One. She ignored him, as if he was beneath her notice. "Yes, that's perfect. I'll just send her back to when he came out again. Assuming she doesn't get locked away as a lunatic, Imhotep will finish her off once and for all."

Knowing that the proper procedures made things work more easily, even for such powers as herself, Glory began to focus her mind, and marked out a diagram on the concrete floor of the unfinished section of the warehouse. She chanted in a language that had been forgotten millennia ago.

Focused by her will, and given shape by her awesome power, the spell took shape. Seeking the image in her mind of the Red Witch, the spell to cast Willow back in time took effect with a flash of red light.

end part 4.

Willow sat up in her bed, suddenly convinced that something terrible had happened to Tara. She didn't know what, but she knew, down into her bones, that she would never see the Tara that she had known and loved again. Willow cast a minor spell, one that should show her Tara if she were alive, no matter how far away she was, but the mirror only reflected the room at her parent's house, and Willow's pale face, her eyes dark ringed with exhaustion and headache.

Pulling some clothing on, Willow debated if she wanted to call someone, or to go to the apartment that she had shared with Tara. Just as she had picked up her purse, she felt a disturbance in the flow of energy in Sunnydale. Someone was working some very powerful magic. Willow didn't know who it was, or what they were attempting, but she had a feeling that somehow, it would turn out to be bad news. It always was bad news in Sunnydale.

She felt something, like a wind touch her aura, and she tried to get to the door, futilely trying to escape the touch of magic on her. She felt raw power wrap around her, seizing her like the wind catches a leaf in the autumn, sweeping her away from Sunnydale and everything she knew. The world blurred into mere swirls of color around her, fragmenting apart into chaos and power.

Eventually, after an eternity a few rapid heartbeats long, Willow realized that the wild rush of power that surrounded her was shaping itself into something she could make sense of. She wasn't going to spend the rest of eternity trapped in a whirl of power. She reformed and dropped about two feet onto the polished wooden floor of a library. Shelves of leather-bound books reached high over her head, and there was a soothingly familiar scent of leather book bindings, ink, and paper, as well as wood polish and a faint hint of tea.

This library was impressive, well kept, and she had never seen it before in her life. Willow carefully stood up, relieved to find herself possibly bruised, but otherwise fine. Looking at some of the books, she saw histories, and books on all sorts of archeology and geography. Nothing about demons, or magic, which meant this probably wasn't the library of a Watcher, although maybe she should check the other bookcases before making that judgment.

The door opened, and a brown haired man was holding a gun, aimed right at her. Willow froze, her eyes widening in surprise and fear. Something seemed a bit odd about his clothing, but most of her attention was on the gun in his hand. He looked quite steady, and as if he would be perfectly willing to shoot her if he felt it necessary.

Willow had imagined her death on many occasions, in a variety of painful and often gruesome methods. She had never taken the time to consider death by gunshot before. It was suddenly being given much dreadful contemplation.

"Evie! We have company. Has your brother been inviting people over again?" The man called to someone down the hall. His voice was cautious. Willow began to hope that she wouldn't be shot after all.

A woman's voice answered. "I don't think Jonothan's been here recently, and where are you... Ahh. I sincerely doubt that any of the people my brother would invite over for company would be in the library, and why do you have that out, you promised you'd try to keep those away from Alex. What exactly is going on here?"

A dark haired woman came down the hall, coming to stand behind the man with a gun. Willow recognized her babbling habit, and had no difficulty interpreting the other woman's sentences, although the context.. hmm. The dark haired woman had a brother named Jonathan. His company wasn't known for being literary. The big guy was supposed to be keeping guns away from someone named Alex. They sounded... well, she sounded British at least. They were both speaking English, which was a definite plus.

"ummm please don't shoot me?" Willow's voice was tentative. She had no idea who these people were, and no idea how to predict their reactions. Perhaps if she established that she was not a threat to them?

The dark haired woman looked into the library, where Willow stood, her hands in view, shaking slightly. Her eyes were wide with fright, and she looked terrified and defenseless. She had no weapons, and was clearly alive. As added reassurance, there was no way this young woman could be mistaken for an Egyptian.

"Rick, put the gun away. I don't think she looks very dangerous. I am a bit curious how she got into our library, but that perhaps should be discussed over tea, not across a gun barrel."

end part 5.

After Rick had returned the gun to a holster at his waist, the three of them went to the kitchen, and Evie made a pot of tea. Willow was still rather nervous, and had no idea how she was going to explain this entire thing to them. Come to think of it, she was still a bit uncertain as to exactly what had happened.

Rick picked up a newspaper, and was flipping through the pages. Despite his seemingly relaxed pose, Willow could tell he was still watching her. There was also a bit of tension in his hands, and there was a glint of gold on his left hand. Evie was fussing with the teapot, continuing to explain to Rick the many reasons why he should be careful about his guns near Alex. Listening to this, Willow managed to determine that Rick and Evie were married, and their boy Alex was creative, mischievous, and idolized his father, which was why Evie worried about him finding the guns.

Just as she was starting to feel a bit calmer about everything, reassured that her hosts seemed to be pretty decent people, she noticed something on the front of Rick's newspaper. The part that shocked her wasn't that fact that it was a London paper, although it was something to find herself on the other side of the ocean. No, Willow was stunned by the date. May 20th, 1933.

She hadn't just found herself on the wrong side of the Atlantic Ocean, separated from all her friends and resources. She was in the wrong decade entirely, years before she had even been born. This was an entirely new level of trouble.

"Now, I think a bit of an explanation of how you ended up in our library would be a good thing. Cream or sugar in your tea?" Evie spoke, sitting a cup of tea on the table in front of Willow.

"Sugar, thanks. My name is Willow Rosenberg. ummm if I try to explain, which I'm still not certain of how everything happened, you'll probably think I'm crazy. Which I'm not, not crazy, just a bit confused right now, because I'm not certain why I was sent here anyhow and there had to be a reason because otherwise..." Willow glanced up, seeing confusion of the faces of both Rick and Evie, and realized that she was babbling.

"Sorry. Ummm I'm not certain of exactly who did this, although I have a few guesses, but would you believe someone cast a magic spell and then I landed in your library?" Willow really hoped they wouldn't toss her out.

Rick sighed, and put his hand over his face, muttering something under his breath. Evie chuckled slightly. "Actually, yes, we would believe you. We had this rather interesting encounter once... and I'm sure that's not something that you need the details on. The point is that we do believe that a spell could have sent you into our library, we're just rather curious why someone would do so."

"I'm not certain of that one either. I mean, obviously, when this was cast, she - at least, my first guess for who did this is a she, she wanted me to be far away from where I was, that being Sunnydale, California, in America. So the fact that I'm here, and from the fact that your husband is reading a London newspaper, here is most likely England, here is pretty far away from there. The confusing and scary part is that the date's changed. That paper says May 20th, of 1933. It wasn't anywhere near that last night, when I went home. ummm it was actually November and the year was 2000. I don't know why I was sent here, unless it was just a sort of random get her away kinda thing, so I don't know why I was in your library, but I know how I ended up there... and I'm babbling again." Willow drank her tea, and fidgeted with her sleeve, blushing again.

Willow muttered a bit to herself, her words too soft for Evie or Rick to decipher. 'Giles might know how to get me out of this, but he hasn't been born yet, his father probably hasn't been born yet, and everyone knows how unhelpful the Watcher's council would be in this situation. No going to gypsies, they have history of nasty clauses or too many strings attached to what they do for that. The only people I know that would even have been born yet are Spike and Angel, and they're probably both all grr and evil right now, so that's completely unhelpful to me in any way. I'm sure this was the work of Glory. But the question other than how did she do this, because this had to be a really powerful spell, is why here and now? What could the point be? argh... evil inspires headaches.' Willow rested her head on her hand, closing her eyes in frustration, trying to fight back tears.

She didn't notice as Rick and Evie exchanged worried glances. Evie moved closer to Rick, hoping that they could figure out what to do about this odd young woman. She seemed nice enough, and fairly harmless. Something told them that she had been telling the truth, which could very easily mean trouble. If trouble was following her, it would be safest to know it as quickly as possible.

"Is there some way we can keep an eye on her? Some simple, easily believable explanation?" Rick murmured in Evie's ear. Evie was far better at non-violent planning than he was.

"Willow? What did you do in California? Did you have a profession, a family?" Evie's question distracted Willow from her musings.

"I was a student, in college. I was taking classes in psychology, and history, and some in computer sciences... which you wouldn't know about because computers haven't been invented yet, that won't be for another few decades. Ummm, my parents weren't home much, the closest thing have to family bonds are my friends... who might not even know that I'm gone because of the whole time thing." Willow answered, looking somewhat curious. Evie sounded like she had the beginnings of a plan.

"Excellent. Rick and I think it would be safest if you stayed here, or at least nearby, so I was thinking perhaps you could stay on as a tutor for our son, Alex. He's a very bright boy, but he's a bit... energetic. Do you think you can manage?" Evie's voice was hopeful. If Willow stayed, not only would it keep Willow where they could keep track of her, perhaps she could help keep Alex out of trouble as well. If she could get him to pay attention to things other than history, which of course was quite fascinating, it would be an added bonus.

"I think I can manage to try to educate a small boy. I'd be delighted to stay... umm I think I'll need some new clothing. I didn't get a chance to pack before my trip..." Willow was smiling as she answered Evie.

"Great. You and Evie see if you can find something to wear, then go out shopping for some more things. She can tell you all about Alex on the way." Rick was pleased to have a solution. It was even better that Willow seemed to be getting along so well with Evie.

While they were out shopping, he would have a few hours to write a letter to Ardeth Bey. Hopefully the desert maji would have some answers about time lost women from the future.

end part 6.

To the surprise of Rick and Evie, Willow got along wonderfully with Alex. She was able to keep up with his amazing amounts of energy, although that was mainly a result of fighting all sorts of demons over the past several years of her life. She took his unique constructions in stride, and had managed to use them as a method of getting him more interested in studying mathematics. After explaining how engineers who designed and built things for a living needed to know all sorts of math, Alex had decided that he needed to know more math as well.

Alex had convinced Willow to spend time taking him to the British Museum, a place that he was very well acquainted with. They would go through the rooms, looking at a section at a time, and study it in depth. Then Willow would sometimes have Alex write a paper about it, or about their day, explaining that if he wanted to study archeology, there was more to it than simply finding an old place and digging it up. After the careful excavation and study, archeologists wrote papers about what they had found. For a paper to be well received, it not only had to be accurate and about something old, it had to be well written as well.

To her surprise, Willow was enjoying teaching Alex. She had been there a few weeks, and was actually enjoying herself very much. The pain of separation from her friends had faded somewhat, now feeling more like a bruise than a jagged cut. The pain of her breakup and loss of Tara was also fading. Not to say that Tara would be forgotten, but Willow had not sank into despair. She also thought that she might be able to try to love again someday, if she ever met the right person.

Willow had not been able to entirely put her life in Sunnydale behind her though. She still knew what manner of things hunted in the darkness. So, armed with a stake and her magic, Willow had started to patrol London at night. Her first thought had been that with the Watchers Council based in London, there would be little to no activity here. That had not been the case. Things weren't as busy as the Hellmouth had been, but there were enough nasties to keep her occupied.

She had kept practicing her magic. The lack of world threatening evils had meant that she could practice more carefully, take a bit more time to learn new things than she had in Sunnydale. She never mentioned to Rick or Evie that she practiced magic. While they had been fairly calm about a magic spell dropping her into their library, the idea that their son's new tutor was a witch might not make them very happy.

She had set wards of protection over the house. They would prevent many sorts of supernatural threats from entering the house, and should warn her if mundane intruders tried anything as well. She had also put a protection spell on Alex, and a small magical tag, so that if he tried to disappear, she could feel his presence with her power. Maybe that was cheating, but it made Alex easier to keep track of.

Willow was also making headway with her teleportation spell. She had found it was actually easier to call a small object to her than to send one away. The tricky part was she had to envision precisely the object that she wanted. If she just had a shaky image, she might not get exactly what she had been seeking. She had once tried with a vague teacup, and the cup that appeared had been half drank. Evie's brother Jonathan had spent several hours trying to find the cup after it had vanished from the table he'd set it on.

Jonathan wasn't very much like Evie. Granted, there was a degree of physical resemblance. He was also an intelligent and well educated man. But where Evie had an adventurous spirit, and craved things to occupy her mind, Jonathan was a bit of a hedonist. His chosen past times involved pretty women, strong drink, and having a good time. He had met Willow, and told her that she was quite lovely, and still flirted with her on a consistent basis. However, Willow was fairly certain that he wasn't precisely interested in her as Willow, but as another pretty face. It was a bit flattering that he considered her as a pretty face, but Willow didn't want to be just another person in a long list.

She had managed to hide her magic from Rick and Evie. She had also managed to hide her nightly fight against evil under the pretense of a long walk in the evening to relax. The oddest thing was that her walks actually did help her to relax. She slept better knowing that every vampire she killed was one less danger to the people who had no idea what lurked in the darkness. The habit of helping those in need, even if they didn't know there was even any danger had been ingrained to deeply to forget simply because she was in the wrong decade.

There was something that she was a bit curious about. Evie had mentioned that they were expecting a visit from a friend of theirs that they hadn't seen in a while. Evie hadn't said much about this person, only that he was a wonderful friend, and that she had met him about the same time that she had met Rick. Willow kept wondering who this friend was, and why they were being so secretive about him. She would have to make an effort to seem normal, to not reveal her vampire hunting and magic. It tended to freak people out if they knew you went chasing after the undead.

end part 7.

Willow had decided that the house, while impressive and about as well defended as a house would be in this time, needed a little more protection. She knew just what some of the things that went bump in the night were, and not all of them would be stopped by a nice wall. Which was the reason that she had cast wards over it. She refreshed them every week, so that they wouldn't fade and permit anything supernatural and dangerous into the house.

But just now, she had decided to take Alex out of the house. He had been fidgety all morning, barely able to sit still. Willow had taken pity on him, and they had spent some time at the museum, looking at an exhibit on the ancient Romans. After that, they had gone to a poetry reading, and listened to some aspiring poets read their work. Willow had decided to make him take a few notes, and tell her what each poem made him feel. Some were better than others. Right now, they were listening to a shy young man named William Exeter read a poem. It was about the 'effulgent beauty' of the woman he loved.

"Willow! I know you wanted me to tell you how the poems make me feel, but this guy is bloody awful!" Alex leaned over and whispered to Willow. She had told Alex that he could call her Willow if they weren't in a formal setting, because being called Miss Rosenberg still felt awkward to her.

Willow frowned slightly. While it was certainly true that the young man's poem was... not the best that she had heard in terms of phrasing or meter, she could tell it had been written with intense and passionate emotion. She could tell that he was completely infatuated with his unnamed lady. There was something oddly familiar about this William, as if she had seen him or his picture somewhere. Perhaps she had seen a descendant of his?

"I think his poetry has passion. You can really feel the emotions behind it." Willow voiced her opinion, hoping that her voice would help the young man gain a small bit of hope in his writing. Although practice might be good for his poems.

Later, after the readings had finished, he had shyly thanked her for her words, his blue eyes bright with emotions and thoughts. They had been the most complimentary thing said about his poem all night. He had clearly been a bit nervous, rather awkward. He had reminded Willow a bit of herself, before she had met Buffy. His voice sounded almost familiar as well. Willow had promised to come again and listen to his next poem, and had smiled at him and asked if he'd had any luck with his lady love. He'd blushed a bit and said that he'd been too nervous to approach her yet. Willow nodded, and had said that she knew how that went, and then wished him happiness in his future.

Meanwhile, Ardeth Bey had arrived in London. His friend Rick had wrote to him about a puzzling situation. He had found a young woman in his library, and she had claimed that a magic spell had sent her there from the future. Rick was inclined to believe her, but he wanted Ardeth to come and make certain that she was safe. He had agreed that this was definitely a matter to investigate.

He walked along the street to the mansion that Rick and Evie lived in, the inheritance of Evie's father. Frowning slightly, he stopped and stared at the mansion. It had been surrounded by mystical wards, of a style he was not familiar with. They seemed to be purely protective, to prevent harm from befalling those inside, and to discourage danger from entering. The strength of them was quite astonishing. Who could have set them?

He could feel them brushing over his own protections as he entered the home. It was as if they were testing him somehow, which he had not expected. He greeted Rick and Evie, pleased to see that the years had been good to them. Evie had gained confidence, and Rick was no longer quite so unfocused. Evie and Alex had given him a reason for being, a purpose in his life.

They exchanged greetings, and Rick explained that they had convinced Willow to stay as a tutor for Alex. She was an educated woman, so she was qualified to teach him. The ulterior motive of having a simple way to keep track of her was easily apparent to Ardeth. They were pleased that Willow had been teaching Alex, and he was learning well with her.

The return of Willow and Alex brought the conversation to a close, and Evie introduced Alex to Ardeth, who immediately saw that Alex had his father's adventurous spirit. Then he glanced over to see what sort of person this Willow of the future was.

He was stunned. Her eyes were like lush grass by an oasis, and her hair like the setting sun. Her skin was smooth and fair, with a hint of color to her cheeks. She had delicate features, and a gentle beauty that could capture hearts across years and oceans. She was breathtaking. She was dressed in a subdued outfit in grey, as if she were trying not to attract attention to herself. He wondered if anyone had ever told her how pointless that would be.

"Willow, this is our good friend, Ardeth Bey. Ardeth, this is Willow Rosenberg." Evie introduced them, noting with surprised delight the way their eyes remained on each other, and a faint blush rose on Willow's cheeks.

Willow could tell she was staring. The man in front of her was definitely worth a second look. He gave the impression of being very tall, although he was actually not too much above average height. He had dark hair, and the most intense and piercing dark eyes, as if he could stare right into the darkest corners of her soul. He was dressed in flowing dark robes, and carried himself with the posture of a warrior. Tattoos marked his cheeks and forehead, and seemed vaguely familiar to Willow. Perhaps she had seen them or something similar in a book once? He was breathtaking.

end part 8.

Willow was very quiet during the brief greetings with Ardeth Bey. She felt awkward and nervous, and managed not to be reduced to incoherent vowel sounds, but she did remain very quiet, and hyper aware of his location. When Ardeth and Rick went off to the study to discuss 'that artifact' in private, Willow wasn't certain if she was relieved that he was gone and she could breathe again or disappointed that he was gone.

After Evie took Alex of to get him ready for bed, listening the whole time to his commentary about the various poets and some of the poems, Willow excused herself to take a walk. She definitely felt the need to soothe her nerves.

She had thought that there had been some vampires near the slaughterhouse on Westhaven, so she headed that way. She felt the need to work out some of her tensions with some simple basic violence, especially since it would make the city safer. As a bonus, while she was hunting vampires and then fighting them, she didn't have to think about Ardeth Bey and the interesting acrobatics her stomach did when he looked at her.

As it happened, there were vampires near the slaughter house. They weren't very old, and they were extremely disorganized. She was having no difficulty getting rid of them at all, especially since she had conjured the crossbow to her after leaving the house. Her aim was much better than it had been in her teenage years.

While Willow was dispatching a nest of disorganized vampires, Ardeth Bey was trying to learn more about her from Rick O'Connell. If he was to give an estimate of how plausible her story was, and how likely she was to be a source of danger, he had to know more about her than the fact that she was one of the most breathtakingly lovely women he had ever seen. Not that he phrased it that way, but still.

Rick was describing how they had found Willow, and the strange clothing that she had been dressed in. How she had seemed terrified when she first saw him, and had essentially froze in place. Evie had walked in at that moment, and suggested that that could have had a bit to do with the fact that Rick had a gun pointed at Willow.

They described Willow as a bit shy, very intelligent, quite sweet. She had seemed to be one of the most caring individuals that either of them had ever met. She had a stubborn streak, and had managed to get Alex to behave for her and take an interest in his studies to an astonishing extent, and had managed to make his studies fun. They hadn't mentioned Imhotep or any of the other strange adventures they'd had in Egypt to Willow, figuring that she would be terrified and possibly disbelieving of their story. After all, it's not everyone who believes in the idea of fighting the undead.

Ardeth listened to their explanations. He though that he could see some of what they mentioned in Willow, even in just the brief time he had spoken to her, certainly he had seen the shyness firsthand! Clearly, Alex listened to her, and was paying attention to his studies.

They had also walked to the library, where the faint traces of the disturbance in time lingered. He could tell that something had ripped the fabric of time, and dropped something into the library. The traces of disturbance were very difficult to gather any information from, he could tell little more than it was not the same person that had cast the wards. The other thing he could tell was that the caster was extremely powerful and had gained power though blood magic, killing others to gain power from their death. Such was foul work indeed.

What was bothering Ardeth was this: why would someone go to the massive effort of casting Willow into another time unless there was more to her than had been revealed? No matter how lovely, intelligence and a kind heart alone were not sufficient cause to cast someone into the stream of time. He was also trying to determine who had placed the powerful wards over the house. He could tell that it had not been Rick or Evie, neither of them had the presence of a trained or partially trained magi.

He decided to go forth walking, perhaps the night air would permit him to organize his thoughts a bit better. He had to think rationally about the situation, and not allow his thoughts to be clouded by the memory of green eyes and sunset hair. He was walking for quite a while, and found himself in a rather unimpressive section of the city, surrounded by warehouses and small closed shops.

He had decided that he should probably go back and consider the traces in the library when he was attacked. There were two of them, and the men that attacked him did not look quite like mortals. They had sharp fangs, and their eyes were yellow. Heavy brows made them look feral and menacing.

The first one grabbed his arm, and he reacted by immediately producing a handgun from his robes and shooting the yellow eyed man in the stomach. With a roar of pain and a gust of foul breath that reminded Ardeth of rotting flesh, he was flung through the air, and landed against a wall. Pain flared though his shoulder and arm from where they had met the wall, and his head was ringing from the impact.

These things were not human. He had never encountered anything like them, and his bullets seemed to do nothing more than enrage them. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he realized that he was in serious trouble. He drew his knife and prepared to defend himself.

end part 9.

Willow was still meandering through the streets, trying to make herself stop thinking so much about Ardeth Bey. It wasn't working, and in her efforts to not think about the mysterious man, she had wandered into a particularly unappealing section of the city. It reminded her of the area in Sunnydale that the various vampires and demons laired in while plotting their predictable evils. This was not a safe area to be in after dark.

As if to emphasize her thoughts, she heard gunshots. Willow moved towards them, loading her crossbow and muttering that one of these nights she was going to get herself killed. Someone was in trouble, and she had to try to help them.

Willow turned the corner, carefully keeping as quiet as she could. She had her crossbow ready to fire, and expected trouble. Two vampires had cornered someone against a warehouse, and were intending to make a meal of him. She could see a gun dropped at his feet, and he was holding his arm stiffly. One vampire had bullet holes and small bloodspots on his shirt, informing Willow that the gunshots must have been the man shooting the vampire.

Willow shot the first vampire with her crossbow, turning the one closest to the man into a pile of dust. The second turned, snarling at her.

"You killed my partner! And you interrupted my dinner. I'm going to kill you." Growling in anger and frustration, the vampire lunged towards Willow.

Willow had fought enough vampires to know better than get into a situation of depending on her strength. She dodged, easily evading the vampires lunge, and staked him in the back. He bellowed in denial, and fell into dust that became on with the dust and dirt on the street.

Ardeth had prepared himself to go down fighting. Suddenly, a sharp hint of wood emerged from the chest of the one closest to him, and the fanged creature fell to dust at his feet. That was not what he'd expected to happen, although it was a definite improvement. The other turned, and growled at a figure partially hidden in the darkness. Ardeth could tell that this newcomer was smaller, possibly a woman, and held a crossbow.

The second creature lunged for the woman, growling like a wild beast. She stepped to the side at the last moment, and stabbed at the things back with something, and it also became dust. She had moved like a practiced fighter, and had not seemed in the least surprised by the appearance of those things that had attacked him.

Carefully, he put his knife away, and retrieved his gun. His arm and shoulder were throbbing where they had hit the wall. He moved towards the woman, wanting to know who had saved him. "I owe you my life. Many thanks..."

His almost calm words tumbled to a halt as he got a look at his rescuer. Standing before him, looking a good deal less fragile and shy was Willow Rosenberg, the very person he had been trying so hard not to think about. Instead of fidgeting nervously, she was standing there, looking at him as if inspecting for injuries. She did not look so timid and helpless now.

"Umm, hello again, Ardeth Bey." She reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Just a bit of advice for the future, bullets don't do very much against vampires. They just tend to make them angry. You need sharp wood through their hearts, decapitation, or fire to kill them. How's your arm? Or was it more your shoulder, or maybe both that got hurt, because you look like it hurts a bit and I'm babbling now..." Willow looked at him, and ended up blushing a bright red as she realized that she had started to babble at him.

"I think this is a part of your activities that Rick and Evie did not know about." Ardeth was trying to reconcile the shy teacher he had met only hours before with the capable fighter he saw now. Clearly, Willow was a woman of depth and mystery.

Willow blushed again, and fidgeted with her crossbow. "Umm no. What was I supposed to say to them? Oh, by the way, when I go out for a walk at night, I'm really out battling the undead? There are scary things that go bump in the night? Like that would go over very well..."

Ardeth just laughed, remembering how Rick and Evie had used almost the same reasoning for why they had not told Willow about Imhotep. He was also wondering if this new aspect of Willow, defender against the undead had something to do with why she had been flung into this time.

"Willow, I believe there are some interesting things that we must talk about. Among them the fact that you are not the only one to know that danger is not always stopped by the grave. Vampires... vampires are new to me though. You will have to tell me how such a lovely lady as yourself learned about them." He smiled at her, and offered his arm.

Willow accepted his arm, lightly resting her hand just in front of his elbow. Together, they began the long walk back to the mansion. They smiled shyly, each secretly delighting in the chance to spend time with this fascinating person. As they walked, Willow suddenly asked "So, how did you meet Rick and Evie anyhow?"

end part 10.

Along the way back to the O'Connell residence, Ardeth decided to ask Willow if she knew any reason why someone would have sent her back in time. There had to have been a reason, she might have some idea why someone would have gone to all the effort it would take to fling her back in time.

"Willow, there is something that Rick did not mention about me. I am not simply their friend, I am also a magi. Many of the members of my tribe have been such, and it was because we were given a great task, many thousands of years ago. There was once a very dangerous man, and he was cursed for all time, and sealed into a tomb. My tribe was given the task to make certain the tomb remained undisturbed, and so our ancestors have kept that task for many generations. Unfortunately the tomb was opened, and a terrible danger was released. I met Rick and Evie in an effort to stop Imhotep, which was successful. May he remain in the sands a thousand years," Ardeth frowned, never happy to think of the grave danger the undead sorcerer had posed to the world.

"When you arrived, they were not simply content to accept that all was well, Rick sent me a letter asking me to look into this matter. Do you have any idea who could have sent you to this time, or what possible motive they could have held? It required very powerful magic to cast you into this time." His voice was troubled, worried at the many implications.

They stopped briefly in a park, and Willow looked at the full moon reflected on the fishpond. It was clear that she was gathering her thoughts. "I think it was Glory. She's... I don't really know what she is, other than evil and very powerful. Have you heard of a Slayer? 'The one girl in all the world chosen to face the forces of darkness...' and all that destiny stuff?"

She looked at Ardeth, her expression troubled. "My friend Buffy, in my own time, is the Slayer, and Glory seems to be the newest major evil that she has to stand against. I help her, or used to help her, or will help her after it's the right decade and we've both been borne and everything... I help research the various dangers that she has to fight, and I know a little magic. Ummm I used a spell against Glory, so that probably annoyed her. She's the only one I can think of that would have the power and skill to do this and actually have any clue who I was."

Willow fell silent again after this, pondering everyone that she had left behind. Buffy and Xander, her closest friends. Giles, her father figure and teacher. She even found herself missing Spike, even though he had never claimed to be her friend.

While Willow was contemplating, Ardeth took the time to shift his vision slightly, to look at Willow's aura. It would give him an idea of her inner character, and help him determine if her power would have been enough to draw the anger of such a danger. The colors of her soul were beautiful, revealing her to be someone that cared, deeply and unhesitatingly for people. Someone kind, and generous, and brave, with a determination that would not permit something like being flung into another time defeat her. She also had mystical power, although something in the way she had crafted her shields prevented him from having an idea how strong or weak her abilities actually were.

A thought occurred to him suddenly, and he asked her. "Willow, did you set wards upon the house? I can tell that you have some abilities, and some measure of training, which neither Rick or Evie have."

Willow blushed, and looked at her hands, still holding the crossbow. "ummm Yes. I lived over something called a Hellmouth, I know what some of the scary things out there are. I didn't want them just wandering into the house, so I set up some wards, hoping that they would be strong enough to discourage the various scary things." She tucked the lock of hair behind her ear again, and looked thoughtful. "Here, let me look at your shoulder. I might be able to help it feel a bit better. Could you hold this?"

Willow passed the crossbow to Ardeth before he could attempt a protest. She then began to examine his shoulder, prodding along the socket to see if it had been dislocated, and coming to the conclusion that it had not. Nibbling slightly at her lip, she examined his arm next, pushing up his sleeve to get a better look. The wrist sheath for his knife only received a raised eyebrow, while the already purpling bruises that covered his arm made her wince.

"That has to really hurt a lot.. I think I can help you with that. Since I left my Tylenol in the other decade, we'll have to try a little willowy magic here..." She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating on the proper words to the spell she had memorized years ago. She had cast it for Buffy and Xander hundreds of times, but neither of them had ever affected her the way that Ardeth did.

To his surprise, she did not reach for any herbs or amulets, as he was accustomed to people doing. She simply held her hands over his bruised arm, and chanted a few sentences in what sounded like Latin, and he felt his arm grow warm, as if his arm were under the desert sun. He could feel power wrap around him, so strong that he had no idea how she had been able to conceal it. The pain faded to a dull ache and a slight stiffness, and there was a soft golden glow over his arm. When the glow faded, the bruises were no longer the dark purple black that they had been just moments before. Instead, they were the mottled yellow green color of a bruise nearly healed.

She smiled, looking up at him. "That should feel better. I guess we should go back to the mansion now."

He felt stunned. All his life, he had been taught that without the proper herbs and diagrams to focus the energy, the power of magic could do unpredictable things. No magi that he had met would wish to do a spell of any significance without at the least a ward of protection to prevent interruption to the flow of power. She had simply concentrated, and used a few words. It was as if she had never been taught the dangers of uncontrolled power. Yet, her control had been excellent, and the wards she had set over the house were precise and strong. She was rapidly turning his expectations upside down. He managed a few words in answer to her, trying to hide the astonishment her spell had caused. "Yes, it feels better... thank you."

Her spell finished, he handed the crossbow back to Willow. Now that she wasn't using her power, it was a mere quiet hum, almost undetectable. They continued back to the mansion, both thinking about the conversation they had shared a few moments before, about Imhotep and Glory.

end part 11.

Ardeth was pondering the implications of Willow being sent here. Had this Glory have sent her deliberately, hoping or planning for some danger in this time to eliminate Willow? Or was the fact that Willow had landed in this time pure coincidence, having merely been sent 'away' from where she had been? If her arrival was purely chance, no more than an effort to send her to a time not her own, then the only thing he should worry about was learning if there was a way to help her find her way back home.

If she had been sent to this time for a purpose, it was obviously not Willow's purpose. That would imply that there might be some dreaded evil approaching them, some terrible danger that would be capable of eliminating Willow, and many others. The thought hurt, and he shied away from analyzing why the idea of Willow dead made him flinch inside.

He would have to begin looking through the scrolls and books of knowledge to see what there was about time travel. Perhaps he should have some of his brethren searching for the information as well. It was only proper that if there was a way to return Willow to her own time, where she had friends, family, perhaps a beloved... He shook his head, not wanting to think about Willow with another. The idea bothered him, and made him think of seizing the lovely redhead and taking her away with him to the deserts.

He had no right to think of her like that. He kept telling himself that, kept pondering the idea of world threatening danger, and destruction on a vast and terrible scale. He tried to consider the implications of Imhotep being unleashed again, of his terrible anger at those who had thwarted his attempt to resurrect his beloved Anak-Su-Naman. He considered the fire falling from the sky throughout the city once more, trying to picture that happening here, in London. It wasn't working.

Willow was also thinking intently as they walked back to the mansion. She thought the name Imhotep was vaguely familiar, as if she had heard it before, or maybe read about him in one of Giles' books. If this Imhotep had been released once, could he be unleashed again? Had Glory sent her here so that an undead Egyptian sorcerer would kill her off? If Ardeth hadn't mentioned him, she might not have known what to look for in the lines of possible world threatening danger and destruction.

What neither of them could know was that this very evening, the curator of the British Museum had finally finished translating an ancient Egyptian text. He had an obsession with the ancient kingdoms of Egypt, and a thirst for power and respect that exceeded what he had already attained. This thirst had caused him to begin a study of the magic of the Egyptian sorcerer priests, who had commanded powers so great that the pharaohs had respected and feared them.

He had known that the chipped stone tablets, bearing signs that the carvings on them had been scraped in an attempt to erase their secrets would be important. He had hoped for some secret stash of forgotten knowledge, the secrets of the ancient's power. Maybe some old lore that he could use, or new information on the dynasty of pharaohs from that century.

He hadn't expected this. It spoke of the Books of the Living and the Dead, the most powerful books of magic known to the lands of the Nile. Warnings of the power of the mighty priest Imhotep, and the power he had commanded. Imhotep, whose power had been so great that even after he had committed the unthinkable offense of murdering the god-king of Egypt, they had not killed him. Instead, they had imprisoned him for all time in a tomb, fearing his power more than the blood-debt owed for the king. If he could find and control Imhotep, he would have power enough to carve a kingdom and rule with the same might and luxury as the kings of ancient times.

All he needed to do would be find the Book of the Living, which would be needed to awaken Imhotep, and then, power beyond his wildest dreams would be his. Yes, his hard work was beginning to pay off.

end part 12.

Ardeth and Willow returned to the house. Rick and Evie were sitting in the study, with Evie exclaiming enthusiastically about a possible site for an archeological expedition. She was certain that if they went, they would find something interesting. Rick was trying to get a more specific answer on what she thought would be there than 'something fascinating' when Willow and Ardeth walked in.

"My friends, I think there are a few things you did not know about Willow, and there are also a few things you should talk to her about. About Imhotep, and the danger he once posed and may pose again." Ardeth's words, spoken in an even tone put an immediate end to the discussion of ancient ruins.

"About Imhotep.. whatever do you... Ardeth, why do you think we need to dredge those memories up again...what happened to your face, you have a bruise right there over your eye." Evie was concerned. Not only about Ardeth's injuries, but the memories of Imhotep were most uncomforting to her. She had after all, nearly been sacrificed to enable him to resurrect his long dead lover.

"Ardeth, you do realize that for most people... long dead mummies are not considered fun things to talk about. Why would she want to hear about..." Rick was worried. He knew that Ardeth had to have a reason why he wanted them to talk about Imhotep. It would probably be an unpleasant reason.

"Because it seems that there are other sorts of undead than the ancient mummies, and some of those are here in London. I was attacked by vampires. It is quite possible that if not for Willow, I would have been slain. She said that she was sent here, most likely by a very powerful evil that walks in the town where she was living. If this evil sent her to this time specifically, there may be danger looming in the future." He looked very serious this time.

"Vampires? Don't be ridiculous, there's no such thing as vampires, everyone knows that. It's just a bunch of nonsense that people came up with..." Rick had had enough problems coming to accept mummies. Vampires would be another unpleasant thing to accept.

Willow could tell that this would be a long explanation, so she started the tea. Thinking that she might as well do things the easy way, Willow sent the cups of tea floating over to the others. She wasn't facing them, so she missed the looks of surprise on all of their faces at this display of power. Now that they would be planning how to deal with the possible end of the world, Willow felt quite comfortable, almost as if she were home.

Rick stared as a cup of tea floated towards him, balanced on a saucer. A single cube of sugar followed, dropping neatly into the cup as it settled on the table in front of him. Another cup, its contents pale with cream, settled in front of Evie, and another cup floated over to Ardeth, who was looking just as surprised as Rick felt.

"Yes, vampires are real. They start out as normal people, and then another vampire bites them, drains their blood, makes the dying human drink some vampire blood, and the person dies. Then, they wake up as a vampire. As a general rule, vampires are not your friends, they consider humans to be happy meals on legs... umm I mean walking meals. They will still remember everything they knew before, but they're missing a fundamental part of their souls, they don't worry about right or wrong anymore. A vampire will kill the people that were once their nearest and dearest loved ones. You need fire, decapitation, or wood through their heart to kill them... Ardeth, do you want cream or sugar in your tea?" Willow sounded far too relaxed about the possible return of a world threatening menace.

"How can you be so calm about this! If Imhotep rises again, it would mean a danger to any who stand in his way! This is something a lot more dangerous that taking Alex to the museum, Willow." Rick was feeling confused. Shouldn't Willow be worried? Frantically trying to learn how they could get rid of Imhotep, or hide, or something?

"I don't need to panic, Imhotep isn't here, and he isn't awake, at least, that's what Ardeth told me. Alex isn't any trouble in the museum, trouble is taking him to poetry readings, he fidgets and squirms, and makes these little whispered comments about some of the ... umm that isn't the point. He's only a danger to us or anyone else if he's let loose again, and that should be... umm I have no idea how hard that would be. Anyhow, I didn't live in a safe place, and me and my friends have been fighting demons and vampires for umm... five years now. Consistently." Willow sat down with her own cup of tea, blowing air across the top of it to cool it down some.

"We've prevented the starting of the apocalypse several times, and thwarted a few people who just wanted to take over the area and rule like tyrants... so, really, the idea that there's this big danger somewhere that might be let loose is worrisome, but not panic inducing. The time for panic would be if he were here, awake, and trying to kill someone we know to unleash the forces of hell or something like that."

The other three people in the room simply stared at Willow, trying to understand her words, to try to understand why she would have been risking herself in such dangers. Eventually, they all seemed to come to an understanding, some sort of reconciliation between the Willow they had thought they knew, and a person fighting evil.

Finally, Ardeth spoke. "Your friend the Slayer was very lucky to have you near her."

end part 13.

That night, after a long discussion about mummies and vampires and potential apocalypses or would that be apocalipi? Willow found herself preparing for bed when something caught up with her. She was falling for Ardeth Bey.

But what about what she and Tara had shared? Wasn't she gay now? Shouldn't she still be horribly shattered and broken, weeping around like when Oz had left her? Did the fact that she had known there were problems change how she was coping? Was it the fact that she had been so busy trying to adapt to this time that she had simply...

Yes, that was it. She had been so busy trying to adjust to the new or old err different time that she had managed to delay dealing with her emotions beyond a general sense of homesickness. Now, she found herself feeling all these different and powerful emotions about Ardeth Bey, someone that she had only just met. She hadn't even permitted herself time to mourn the loss of her relationship with Tara, to mourn Tara's death.

She hadn't even been thinking about the fact that she would never see Tara again, even if she could somehow be sent home, back to Sunnydale in 2000. Willow sniffled, tears trickling over her cheeks. She had been convincing herself that surely Giles would find a way to bring her back, so all this was only temporary and she didn't need to deal with everything that had happened in Sunnydale.

The chances of her ever getting home were pretty slim. This was the time she was in now, and would be for the rest of her life, wait, that sounded pessimistic. The rest of her life would move from this time, just like Rick and Evie and Alex's lives. She would never go home and finish her degree at UC Sunnydale. She would never find out if Xander and Anya ever got married, or if Buffy could have a normal romance one day.

She would have to deal with the fact that Tara, her girlfriend was dead. Or would be dead in the year 2000, or had died before she ended up in London. Time travel certainly played havoc on verb tenses. Right, sort this out.

Tara had fought with her again over magic. She thought that Willow used too much magic, accusing Willow of being addicted. Tara had implied that since Willow used magic to deal with torn clothing and dropped glassware, that she was using magic to manipulate Tara. That Willow would use magic to control the people around her. These arguments had been getting more frequent, and Willow had concluded that her magic made Tara nervous for some reason.

They had also had little arguments about unimportant things, like chores and what movies to see, the sort of petty argument that means two people were avoiding a deeper problem. Willow had been constantly insecure about the relationship, afraid that Tara would leave her just like Oz did. It seemed that Tara hadn't trusted Willow about her magic. Perhaps their relationship had been doomed anyhow?

But that didn't make it better that she had died. Something had killed Tara, ended her existence in what might have been a very painful method, considering that it had been Sunnydale. Her killer had not cared how sweet Tara had been. It did not matter how hard Tara had been working to make a new life, away from her abusive family. Tara was gone, and Willow would never see her again.

Tara would not have wanted Willow to wallow in pain and misery for the rest of her life. Tara had always said that Willow's smile was one of the things she loved the best. She would have wanted Willow to be happy again, to be willing to open her heart again to love. Which meant that it wasn't a terrible betrayal to have feelings for Ardeth.

But, the idea that she was allowed to care for Ardeth Bey did not mean she could live happily ever after with him, even if there were no ancient mummy to worry about. For all she knew, he might have a wife waiting for him, some dark eyed magess taught the secrets of magic from childhood. She frowned at the idea, hoping it was not the case. Or maybe he just didn't see her that way? She refused to subject herself to the painful frustration of pining away for someone who didn't even see her as a female in hopes that someday he just might see her. She had tried that once, it had failed spectacularly.

It wasn't enough for Willow to conclude that she was allowed to try to be happy, to hope she could find someone to love her. There was no guarantee that Ardeth Bey would even want her, that he even thought of her as a desirable woman. She could try to watch, hope to figure out if he had feeling for her beyond surprise. He had certainly been surprised to find her hunting vampires. She was also certain that she didn't use her magic the same way that he had been trained. She already knew that differing views on magic could cause trouble in a relationship.

She would always remember her time with Tara, but she could try to make a new future. Maybe that future could include Ardeth?

end part 14.

The next day had Rick and Evie talking about that possible archeology site again. If there was even a possibility of Imhotep returning, they wanted to be prepared. Which made them worry about the idea of Willow being sent here specifically. Ardeth's fear that she had been placed in this time so that something terrible would befall her worried them. The idea of Imhotep coming back gave Evie a chill down her spine. It made her want to find a deep dark hole and hide until the danger was gone. Unfortunately, that wouldn't work against Imhotep. Perhaps the safest thing would be to go back to Egypt and make certain that he was still contained where they had left him.

Willow was giving Alex his lessons, and they were safely outside, in the gardens. They were going over math, which Alex had a much easier time with than Xander ever did. They were outside, where Alex could enjoy the sunshine and not be fidgeting inside, although truthfully, Willow was enjoying the fresh air as much as Alex was. She didn't seem to notice that someone was watching her as she talked to Alex about his lessons.

Ardeth stood by the window, looking down at the garden. Willow and Alex were there, and her hair gleamed in the sunshine like silk. She was beautiful, a kind and gentle soul that nevertheless fought against the forces of darkness with all the ferocity of a lion. Perhaps a falcon would be a better comparison for her, small and swift, with hidden power and great courage...

Realizing the direction his thoughts had taken, Ardeth had to conclude that he was completely smitten with Willow. She was lovely, intelligent, had plentiful magical ability, and understood the need to stand against the darkness. She was everything he had never dared to dream of finding. Surely she had many people in her own time that would eagerly hope to have her returned. Surely, there was someone waiting for her to return, some lucky man that had captured her heart. The thought of her returning to another time, another love pained him. He wanted to be her love, to have her smile at him, to walk with him along the path of life, to bear his children and grow old with him... If she could ever accept him. He could face swarming undead or armed tomb robbers with ease, but the thought of baring his heart to Willow left him a nervous wreck.

He wasn't certain if his people could find anything about time travel in all the writings they had. Part of him felt that it was only proper to try to send Willow back to her home, her friends and family. Part of him hoped desperately that she would have to stay in this time, that there would be no way to send her home. If she had to stay in this time, he might have a chance for a future with her.

He wandered down to the sitting room, where Rick and Evie were discussing a possible site to excavate and explore. They were also worried about the chance of Imhotep returning. He found himself dragged into the discussion, and was almost distracted from thinking about Willow.

"What about Alex? Do you plan to take him with you on this trip? If so, do you intend to have Willow follow in efforts to continue his education?" Ardeth had to ask. If Willow were left in London, he was certain that she could handle herself quite well. If she went to Egypt... wouldn't she need someone to make certain she knew of the local dangers there?

"Good question. Do we leave her and Alex here in London..." Evie's voice trailed off as she imagined Alex in London, with only Willow and Jonathan in an effort to keep him contained and behaving. She shuddered slightly at the image.

Apparently Rick was having similar thoughts. "They go with us."

They began planning the trip to Egypt, to excavate a possible ruin that Evie thought had been some sort of temple or school. They would take Willow and Alex with them, and Ardeth would go to make certain that they understood the dangers of the deserts. That was his excuse anyhow.

end part 15.

They had packed everything, and were traveling on a boat to Egypt before Ardeth managed to gather his nerve enough to talk to Willow about her life in Sunnydale. Her personal life, not her fights against the darkness. He had been wondering what sort of person would be waiting for her return, who held her heart in their hands. Finally, his need to know outweighed his concerns of her reaction.

"Willow? If we can manage to send you back to Sunnydale, is there someone... did you have a beloved waiting for you to return?" He felt certain that his words had been awkward. Hopefully, she would not consider them to personal.

"I don't know if it will even be possible to send me back. As for having a special someone... there was someone. But... the night that I was sent back... something terrible happened. I don't know what, but… there was... we'd had a connection. Something broke that connection. I woke up, terrified, and knowing that... it was over. Something had killed... I did a spell, it would find someone if they were alive, and it showed me nothing." Willow had gone teary at his words, reminded not only of the unlikeliness of her chance of going home, but of Tara's death. She hadn't been certain that there would still be anything between her and Tara before something had killed Tara, ending all possibility of a future.

Willow tried to compose herself. She didn't need to be weeping all over Ardeth. "I have my friends. But... no, I won't have a beloved to go back to. My parents might eventually figure out that I'm gone, but they'll just rationalize it away. I can count on one hand the number of people that will be upset now." She gave a trembling smile, and began lifting fingers with each name. "Buffy. Xander. Giles. Maybe Spike."

Willow paused, racking her thoughts and memories. "four people. My whole life reduced to four people..." She shook her head slightly. "Oz might be a bit sad... maybe Angel. But considering that I haven't heard from Oz since he very briefly stopped in... and the only thing I've heard from Angel in over a year was Buffy's in trouble... I don't think they'd be too broken up about my vanishing."

She looked into the darkness, her face filled with sorrow. "I never had a lot of people in my life. I wasn't good with people. Give me things to research, or a math problem to work on, and I have no trouble. Talking to someone? I used to be doing good to stammer a few vowels sounds. I'm not what people want. I'm not even what the vampires and demons want." She paused a moment, searching her memories. "Well, I did have a vengeance demon offer me a job... and Spike once offered to turn me, although I don't know if he would really have given me the option or really have turned me if I'd said yes, even if there hadn't been the chip... and I'm babbling again."

"Then the men of your time are all fools. You are breathtaking, Willow. You have beauty and intelligence, the courage to do what is right regardless of the personal danger.. I can't understand why you wouldn't have suitors lined up for just a moment of your time..." Realizing how much of his feelings had come out in that statement, he offered a small smile, and left in a swirl of dark robes.

Willow was left staring after him, his words repeating in her mind. The hope began to blossom inside her heart. "He thinks I'm beautiful? He thinks I should have suitors... could he possibly..want me?" The possibility made her smile. Maybe life in this time wouldn't be too bad after all.

What neither Ardeth or Willow knew was that at this time, the curator of the British museum had a meeting with a mysterious woman. That this woman was an expert in the history of the ancient Egyptians, as well as a ruthless assassin. Nor could they possibly know that this woman had gained possession of the Book of the Living.

This meeting would enable the curator to give direction to his search. He was seeking power, and thought to gain this power by bringing back an ancient sorcerer. The woman would be the key to his plan. Imhotep had sought to gain a woman, Anak-Su-Naman. His new associate would simply claim that she was Anak-Su-Naman reincarnated, and the sorcerer would be putty in her hands. As he thought to control her, he was certain that he would hold control of Imhotep as well.

end part 16.

Sunnydale California, 2000, the day after Willow & Tara argued

Tara's body had been found. Anya had been the first to learn about it, and she had quickly told the others. Buffy had been volunteered to go find Willow, to tell her the news. Anya intended to try to use the helpful place markers that Willow had for assorted computer sites to see what the coroner's office had to say about the body of Tara McClay. Anya didn't know if she should hope for natural causes or for some demonic evil that they could have Buffy go kill.

She finally found the report. Tara was described as having some bruising on her wrists. Other than that, the cause of death was listed as a sudden massive cerebral hemorrhage. Anya had helpfully translated that as something had essentially broke her mind, and the shock of it had killed her. Tara had been killed by something. All they had to do was figure out what it was and how Buffy could kill it.

Buffy then burst through the door of the store, her eyes wide, her face expressing worry and fear. "Willow's gone!"

Giles pilled her to the back, hoping to calm her down, or at least get a bit more detail from her.

"I checked the dorm first. She wasn't there, and then I figured that she had probably gone to her parent's house to be alone after... after she and Tara had that big fight last night. I could tell that she had been there. Her jacket was there, and there was a glass in the sink. So, I went to check her room. I thought... maybe she'd sleep late after everything. She looked pretty drained after that spell she did to zap Glory away. She'd been there, I could tell. Her bed was in disarray, like she'd just got up and left the covers all messy, which is not her normal thing."

Buffy was very upset. She was pacing in front of Giles, only slightly calmer than when she had entered the store. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "Giles, I got this really major wiggy feeling in her room. It was like something really big and bad had happened. There wasn't any blood, no mess other than the bedcovers."

Buffy was not the only person to be upset by Willow's disappearance. The whole gang spent the day searching for the missing redhead. They had even checked the bus station and the taxi company on the off-chance that someone there had seen her. They had searched every site that Willow might have gone.

Anya and Giles were the only ones in the store when Spike sauntered in. He looked around, his brow wrinkling slightly in confusion. "Eh, what's going on here then? Where's everyone at? Usually Red's at the computer, or at that table talking to her girl over a pile of books..."

It was only after Anya and Giles shot him matching furious expressions that Spike realized that something very wrong must have happened. There was a faint scent of fear and worry hanging in the air. He didn't think that either Red or Tara had been in the store all day. Something told him that whatever had happened, it was bad, involved at least one of the witches, and he should make clear that he'd had nothing to do with it.

"Tara is dead. Something killed her. We want to find out how to have Buffy kill it." Anya spoke, her blunt words giving Spike the first spoken explanation for everything.

"Dead? What... how was she killed? Is someone making sure Red's okay? The chits were an item after all." Spike's voice betrayed the fact that he actually cared, even if only a little about the two witches. It also made it clear to both Giles and Anya that he had no idea what was going on.

"Therein lies the major complication, and the item that has everyone... what was Buffy's term again? Wigging? hhmm yes. After the fight last night between Willow and Tara, it seems that Willow went to her parents' house. Buffy said that there was a feeling of a very strong disturbance. Anya went over to that side of town during her lunch, she said there was a very strong magical signature. In short, there appears to have been some major mystical working, and Willow is now gone. We do not know who was responsible, or what they have done to Willow. We don't know if she's... we don't know what happened."

Spike sat down. He frowned, thinking that there was something nagging at his mind, something that applied to this situation. He tried to think of what it was as he searched the books with Giles, looking for things that could destroy minds.

A memory floated to the surface of his mind, something from his mortal days. He had gone to read a poem he'd wrote about Cecily... There had been a young woman there, she'd spoke kindly to him, had even had a good thing to say about his poem. She'd had gorgeous green eyes and bright red hair. The mortal chap he'd been had ended up with decidedly fond thoughts of her... what had her name been? Willow!

Spike fell out of his chair, cursing fluently in multiple languages. As he picked himself up, he forced himself to go through his somewhat hazy memories of his human days. Willow Rosenberg, the tutor of a small by, Alex O'Connell was it? The boy hadn't liked his poetry, she'd had a kind word about it... smiled at him an' everything. He was almost positive that it had been her.

"Watcher, you got any pictures of Red with her hair pulled back?" Spike's voice was serious, his tone urgent enough that nobody made any insulting remarks about him having bizarre demony urges. Giles produced a picture from a recent trip that Willow and Tara had gone on. Spike ignored the part with Tara, instead focusing on Willow. She was standing in the sun, smiling her little smile, hair pulled back, wearing a pale green shirt.

"It's her." Spike's voice was barely a whisper. "I know what happened to Red."

Giles and Anya both began clamoring with questions. They wanted to know what he thought had happened, how he knew, all the details.

"Short version - I have no idea what or who pulled the mojo at her parent's house. She's probably dead now, but calm down a moment. The spell put her back in time. I remember meeting her before, when I was human. Willow Rosenberg, same green eyes, same bright hair, same pretty smile. I'm thinking that she lived more or less happily after, and died of old age. Hell, for that matter, there's a chance she might still be alive, just a very much older woman by now." Spike sat back in the chair, still holding the picture, but clearly lost in his memories.

"There's a lot that she had to say that makes more sense now..."

end part 17.

The trip to Egypt was mostly uneventful, except for Willow's nightmares. She was fairly certain that nobody else had heard her thrashing in her sleep, but they had been most unsettling. Sometimes, she dreamed of Sunnydale, reliving the dangers they had faced. She dreamed about Moloch trying to kill her, about finding the bodies in the teacher's lounge, about the Master falling through the ceiling and his attempted resurrection with a special view of the book that had been used in the ritual. It had been a heavy book, and looked to be made of gold or bronze tablets bound together.

She dreamed of all the people that she'd seen die, only they were asking her why it had happened, demanding that she explain why they had to die. She was visited in that way by dreams of Jesse, of Jenny Calendar, of Amy asking why she was still a rat, of Tara asking why Willow had let her die alone.

She had dreamed a lot about Spike. Not Spike, starving and asking for help on Thanksgiving, or Spike chained in the bathtub, but Spike, as he'd kidnapped her and Xander in their senior year. Sometimes, that one played out as she remembered it happening. Other times, it went differently. After he asked for a spell to get Dru back, he would consider her timid query of 'a chaos demon?' and get this odd look. Then he would decide to forget Dru, and he would ravish her there in the factory. What made those dreams so... embarrassing was that not only was that not how it happened, but she was dreaming intensely naughty things about Spike. He would ravish her, not forcing himself on her in a painful way, but overwhelming her with passion, until the whole thing turned into something from a romance novel. While she had to admit that Spike was quite attractive, it was a dangerous guy who'd tried to kill her repeatedly and was in love with an insane someone else sort of way.

Sometimes, she dreamed about things here and now. She dreamed about Rick, Evie and Alex taking an evening stroll and being killed by vampires. She dreamed of Evie in a clinging black gown, chained to a block of stone by some guy with a shaved head dressed in some sort of wrap around his hips. He held a knife over Evie, and killed her to give life to this desiccated husk on another stone block. The husk became a beautiful woman with kohl-painted eyes, and then the man with the knife would kiss the newly alive woman. She dreamed of a slowly moving thing, like a long dead body turned dry and withered moving towards her, kidnapping Alex.

She dreamed of Ardeth Bey. Sometimes, on the good nights, they would be sweet dreams, dreams of happily after in his arms. On the bad nights, he would laugh, telling her about his beautiful sorceress-wife, or how she was entirely unappealing to him. She dreamed of the night that she had saved him from the vampires, only it was too late this time, and she had found his drained body. She dreamed of the withered corpse attacking Ardeth, of it crushing his bones, or doing this strange thing where it's jaws unhinged, and it literally sucked the flesh from Ardeth's bones, becoming recognizable as the animated remains of the man with the knife. Imhotep.

Other times, she dreamed of William, her friend the poet. He'd gone to a party, and professed his love to a lovely blonde woman. She had laughed at him, saying that he was beneath her, and swept away, dancing in the arms of some expensively dressed man. William would stagger off, and he would be killed by a dark haired vampiress that Willow eventually recognized as Drusilla. Other nights, she dreamed of William standing over a dead body, covered in blood, with a feral grin on his face, completely unlike the shy poet she had known.

Disturbingly, she was having more and more dreams of either the undead Egyptian guy, or William, turned into a vampire and leaving a path of bloody destruction in his wake. Oddly enough, the vampire William in her dreams had an unsettling resemblance to Spike. But that had to be pure coincidence. William had been fine in London when she'd left. It was unlikely that he'd run into a vampire, less likely that he'd been turned into one by, of all people, Drusilla.

They were almost to Egypt before it occurred to Willow to simply ward her dreams to block out the nightmares. She cast it carefully, wanting to block her nightmares of London, of Sunnydale. There was a chance that it might not work, but she was willing to try. If it failed and the nightmares continued, what had she lost? If it worked, she was willing to feel a bit silly casting spells to ensure a good night's rest.

As he stood along the rail of the ship, watching the dark waves beneath him, Ardeth felt the working of magic. The strength of it, along with the slightly foreign feel told him that it could only be Willow. But why would she be casting a spell before she went to sleep? Perhaps he could talk to her about it in the morning.

end part 18.

Ardeth had very interesting dreams that night. He dreamed of Willow, the two of them alone together at a lush, romantic oasis. He dreamed of following her back to London, growing old with her in a nice house with a horde of green eyed children. He dreamed of her going with him to face Imhotep and dying bravely, bleeding her life away into the sands. He dreamed of them facing Imhotep together, and when she was injured, he saved her, and they went away together.

He was quite certain what the message in his dreams was. He wanted Willow. If that meant leaving the land of his birth and living in England, then he would do so. He wanted to build future with her, to raise a family with her. He feared for her safety if they had to face Imhotep. He was utterly smitten by her grace, her intelligence, and her kindness. Frustratingly, he had no idea how she felt, which was why he'd been spending so much time staring into the water lately.

He would have to talk to her. Perhaps he could find some clue if he watched her carefully, some clue as to the chance that she might feel... something for him. He even had the perfect pretext - he wanted to ask her what spell he had felt her casting last night. Perhaps that would lead to another discussion of magical styles.

He found her after breakfast. She looked much better than she had for most of the voyage. The dark circles under her eyes were fading, and she didn't look quite so tense. Perhaps it had merely been sea sickness, but... perhaps last night's spell had something to do with her well rested appearance?

"Willow? Could I have a moment of your time, outside by the railing? The ocean looks... very blue today. Peaceful," Ardeth mentally winced, feeling as if his words were poorly chosen. Warnings of danger were much simpler.

She looked at him, studying his face as if she were searching for something important before smiling slightly and nodding agreement. He offered her his arm as they walked to a slightly isolated area overlooking the ocean. It was unlikely that anyone could hear their words, although it would be a simple matter for people to watch them.

Ardeth spent several long moments simply looking at her, watching the way the sunlight gleamed on her hair, admiring the green of her eyes. Finally, hoping she didn't think he was being rude, he spoke. "I felt you casting last night. The spell... I couldn't recognize it. Perhaps you could tell me about it?"

Willow shrugged slightly, as if dismissing the matter of the spell as a minor thing. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft, and there was a slight distance in her words, as if she were trying to push back the memories of her dreams. "I've been having nightmares since we left London. Sometimes, I'd see the people that I know that have died, asking me why. Or I'd see the things we'd fought against, and relive the whole thing. I was also having dreams about people here. There's this poet in London, a friend. He's a nice guy, hopelessly smitten with this girl, Cecily. I kept dreaming of him being killed, or turned into a vampire. Or the O'Connells, out for a walk, killed by vampires. Always with full detail, the crickets, the blood... everything."

She shuddered slightly. "Then there were the other dreams, the strange ones. Dreams where Evie's in a long dark gown, chained to a square block next to a withered set of bones, and this bald guy with a knife kills her to bring the bones back to life as this woman with kohl around her eyes. Dreams of this dried corpse walking, sucking the flesh off of... somebody and starting to reform into the knife guy. Dreams of the dried up guy kidnapping Alex, and carrying him off to this pyramid among palm trees. I've never seen this guy, the undead sorcerer guy, but... the dreams have been so vivid, so strong that I could draw him, I'd know his voice, the feeling of his power."

She looked at him then, her eyes glittering on the edge of tears. "I couldn't sleep because of all the dreams. They would come every night, two, three, sometimes four a night. Finally it occurred to me that I could try to ward them away. I've gotten to the point of casting magic to help myself sleep at night."

Ardeth could feel his heart trying to reach out to her, wishing he could ease the pain in her eyes. Acting on impulse, he put his arms around her, holding her close to him. He found himself murmuring soothing words in his own language, ignoring the fact that he wouldn't understand his words. Perhaps the tone would be enough to tell her that he would be here for her, he would try to keep her safe.

He gently turned her, and together they went to see Rick and Evie. If her dreams were accurate, if she had seen Imhotep and his attempted resurrection, seen his face, then it looked as if he would somehow rise again. Evie would have paper, and then he could try to persuade Willow to draw the man she had seen, the one with the knife.

end part 19.

Ardeth found Evie, who told them that Rick had taken Alex to look at the ship's engines. He had then asked Evie if Willow could make use of some of her paper, and of a pen and some ink. Somewhat puzzled, Evie had produced them, and Willow had settled at the table and began to draw, a frown on her face as she deliberately focused on the images that had tormented her nights.

"Ardeth, while I'm certain you must have some sort of reasoning for this, I'd really like to know what it is. I didn't think Willow was an obsessive artist." Evie was trying not to be cross, but this seemed very unusual. Unusual was often bad, especially if it left Ardeth Bey all twitchy. He had been calm about attacking bandits, calm about storms and pirates, the only things that had shaken him had been the manifestations of Imhotep's power, and those vampires in London.

"Willow told me that she's been having troubling dreams. That some of these dreams feature a dry corpse, walking. Dreams of you chained to a stone by a bald man with a knife." His voice was low and filled with worry.

Evie gasped, her eyes going wide as the potential implications flowed through her mind. "You think... you think she's dreaming some sort of warning about... Imhotep?" Upon his reluctant nod, Evie sighed. "You know, I thought he would have been left trapped and dealt with in that tomb in Hamunaptra, and weren't your people supposed to be making certain that nobody would be going there anyhow? What will we do if he does come back..."

"It is my fond hope that these dreams are no more than fears inspired by the stories we told, that they are little more than smoke and imagination. I asked her to draw this man, so that we can see what he looks like and settle the question. If it not Imhotep, then we can relax, but if it is him..." Ardeth shuddered a bit as he considered the possibility. His words were reluctant as he continued. "If it is him, we must be prepared."

They then fell into uneasy contemplation for a long while, the only sounds the quiet scratching of Willow's pen as she sketched some of the scenes from her nightmares. They were remembering the horrors from the last time that Imhotep rose, and imagining those dreadful times repeated. They could all too easily picture the terror and destruction that would follow the return of Imhotep.

"There. This is the whole alter ritual thingy with the shriveled bones, and this one is the guy with the knife, fleshy version, because I failed dismally at the whole missing parts and withered up version. Umm I couldn't draw anything to convey the way he felt, can't put an aura on paper, but... umm this is him. I also drew the woman he was trying to bring back, I thought since she seemed so very important to him..." Willow's voice shook a little from forcing herself to remember the man enough to draw him.

She slid the pages, one of the man standing there, dressed in a small wrap and a cord around his arm with a knife in his hand, a close up of his face on the upper corner, and a sketch of the resurrection sequence, as well as the half finished abandoned pages with the desiccated and clearly undead version of the figure that had haunted her nights. The last page showed a lithe woman, her body covered with what looked like a drape of netting and lines of marks over her arms, kohl lining her eyes and beaded dark hair that surrounded her face.

It only took a single glance for them to know. Willow might not be the world's greatest artist, but the features of Imhotep were unmistakable to them. His face looked back at them from the paper, and the next held a slightly rougher picture that diagramed the ritual that still gave Evie occasional nightmares. Ardeth moved the top pages, and saw the unfinished efforts to capture the image of the mummy Imhotep, his flesh fallen prey to the passing of centuries, animated by force of will and his command of dark powers.

Evie closed her eyes and sat down, filled with worry and dread. Ardeth looked no happier, and spoke a single word.

"Imhotep."

end part 20.

Willow looked at the two of them, both staring at her drawings with expressions of dread. She recognized the name of Imhotep, the ancient mummy that Ardeth and later Rick and Evie had told her about. If the guy in her dreams was him, which from their reactions it was, did that make the rest accurate as well? Possibly not the resurrection ritual, because Evie was still here, unless it was a warning of the future... Which made her think of the dreams involving the undead figure kidnapping Alex, dreams where Alex was wearing a golden scorpion on his arm. She began to sketch the bracelet-scorpion thing on another paper, trying to capture as much detail as she could.

"Willow, what are you drawing now?" Ardeth had noticed her drawing on another page. If it was something else from her nightmares, it could be very important.

"I've been having dreams where the scary dried up dead guy kidnaps Alex. He's always wearing this bracelet when it happens, so I thought it could mean something. So... umm If either of you recognize it, or know where it is, I'll be a bit freaked out, but we might have an idea what to watch out for." Willow babbled slightly in answer, but her meaning was clear enough.

If her dreams of Imhotep had truth in them, what of her dreams about William? She shivered, thinking of the possible dangers and torments he could experience. Unfortunately, there was nothing that she could do about it, as he was in London and she was on her way to Egypt.

They looked at the scorpion bracelet that she had drawn, both thinking it looked familiar. Ardeth was troubled by the sense of near recognition, and had a feeling that this bracelet would be trouble. Evie inspected the detailed drawing and translated some of the markings as identifying the bracelet as the mark of the Scorpion King, a figure of ancient Egyptian myth. Could this be an indication that the Scorpion King was not actually myth, but reality?

Then, another thought occurred to them. If Willow's dreams had Imhotep kidnapping Alex while he wore the bracelet, it most likely meant that the bracelet was important. If Imhotep wanted it, it could probably be used for something significant and powerful. Most likely, this would also be something bad and dangerous. It was imperative that if they found such a thing, they would have to make certain it didn't fall into the wrong hands.

"I think it will be a definite relief to get to a point where all I have to worry about is looking through sand and searching for old buildings."

Evie's voice was thoughtful, and Willow had the suspicion that there was something else behind it. Evie looked like she hadn't been sleeping quite as well. She'd gotten slightly twitchy, a sure sign that something was bothering her, and she'd started to occasionally zone off, with an unhappy expression. Willow would have to talk to her, to try to find out what was bothering her. Maybe Evie was having her own disturbing dreams?

Ardeth frowned at the papers once more, muttering some unhappy words that Wilow suspected were some sort of curse on Imhotep, and left the room. She suspected that he was going to go brood on matters, not that that could actually change how things were.

"Evie, have you... have you been having any odd dreams lately?" Willow asked her question softly, not wanting to alarm Evie if she was correct.

Evie looked at Willow, her eyes wide with surprise. "How did you... yes, actually I have. They're amazingly vivid, as if it were a memory instead of a dream. But they couldn't be a memory, because they are all in ancient Egypt, during the time of the pharaohs. I see things as if I were there, the people, the buildings... It's actually getting quite disturbing."

The two women pondered their dreams, and thought about what they could possibly mean. They concluded that it could only mean that their lives would soon be getting very interesting.

end part 21.

The rest of the trip had passed quietly. Willow had cast her dream-warding every night, and so she had been able to get the sleep that she had been so desperately needing. She still had some dreams of Sunnydale, but they were somewhat softer, a bit blurred, no longer as sharp and raw as real life had been. She no longer felt the ghost of pain from injuries in her dreams after she woke up.

Willow was excited. She was really in Egypt, and she would really be on the location of an actual archeological dig. Yes, it would be sandy, and there might be scorpions, and it would be amazingly hot, but she was still excited. She would have to stay on her toes, however. Alex was here, and if he had gotten into trouble in London, there was an even bigger chance that he would try to get into trouble here. Especially since they couldn't go off to visit a museum to calm him down.

She had been reviewing some of her spell that she thought might be useful. There was a simple levitation spell, good for catching an object or person that was suddenly knocked over or down. There was a spell to encourage sleep, and a more powerful one that would drop a person from hostile to snoring with three seconds of words. Not that she would use that on Alex, but if there were thieves, it was good to be prepared. She'd also done a bit of review of the healing spell, and one that was a general purpose counter to non-magical poisons. It had worked for jellyfish and well over a dozen different types of demons, it should be sufficient to help if there was a scorpion problem. Did scorpions bite or sting? She would think that they stung, considering the nasty tails they had, but that sounded a bit awkward, a scorpion sting... There were poisonous snakes in Egypt, weren't there? It would be very good to have an antidote to poison, although it would be even better not to need it at all.

Finally, the boat docked, and they disembarked, while porters handled the luggage. Willow was looking around her, trying to see everything at once. Everything was so different here... the buildings, the language, the way people dressed. She would have no trouble remembering that this was another country.

Somehow, Willow suspected that she would have no trouble remembering her magic here. This felt like an ancient land, the sort of place where a person would expect to see magic and wondrous things.

They would be searching for the ruins of an ancient building, and that would be interesting for Willow. Not only because of the history, and all the neat things that they could find, but well, she'd always had an interest in understanding how people thought. In understanding how and why they structured their lives in whatever patterns they chose. Studying the building would give her a much better picture of how they had used it than reading a paper or a dusty book.

She was almost as excited about the trip as Evie was. Rick looked a bit excited, but maybe that was just because they were away from London, away from all the social expectations and pressures. She had learned that he could be quite good at ignoring rules when he didn't like them, and she'd heard some very interesting stories about his life before he'd married Evie.

Alex was excited, partly in hopes of fewer lessons, partly because the boy was adventurous and curious to a fault. Willow didn't want to stifle his curiosity, she just wanted him to learn to think a bit more before giving in to some of his impulses. He had a strong interest in the history of Egypt, and listened attentively to his mother talk about the subject. That was actually one area where Alex knew more than Willow. She had simply grinned, and told him that everyone had something that they knew more about than others. She had also paid attention to him and Evie on that topic, hoping to learn more.

Ardeth Bey was clearly glad to be home as well. He seemed to relax, to feel more comfortable the moment they stepped off the boat. It was clear that he felt a strong bond with his homeland. While he was still worried about the possibility that Imhotep might somehow rise, he didn't frown quite as deeply. Maybe it was that since this was his home, his people were here as well? If something dreadful happened, there was back-up that he could call on.

They had assembled their luggage, and arrangements had been made for their travel. They would be using Camels to cross through parts of the desert. Willow was caught between excitement and nervousness because she had never traveled by camel before. She was compensating by paying very careful attention to not only the instructions of their travel guide, but to Alex's location as well. She had him talk to her about the history of Egypt. They talked about the dynasties of the pharaohs, and about some of the powerful and well known pharaohs in specific, including what they were known for.

Willow wanted to be prepared for this, and lacking books, all she could do was talk to people. It had the added benefit of keeping Alex on good behavior, and distracting her from worrying about the camels. She was almost becoming used to the scent of baked sand and hot camel, well, she doubted that she would ever get used to the smell of camel, but it was no longer surprising her all the time. She was managing to cope with the heat so far, and it was a fascinating new experience. She wanted to enjoy it while she could, new experiences tended to have a dangerous side.

end part 22.

They had found the temple. The outside had been made from a golden brown stone that was a near perfect match for the sands, and there was an unmistakable feel of ages to the ruin. Broken pillars rose near the framed doorway, and carvings had once covered the outside of the building, their shapes half eroded by the passing of years and the wind-swept sands. Evie had been delighted.

Inside, the building was made from a different stone, one that was dark grey. There were statues of partly human figures, some broken pillars in the outer chamber, the hieroglyphs still deeply carved, easily traceable. Sands had been blown into the building, filling the corners and crevasses with shifting paleness. There were a few hopeful weeds attempting to grow near the entrance, and the scurrying forms of brown desert mice could be seen fleeing their arrival.

They spent several hours establishing their base, something like a camp in the entry of the temple, a section empty of any small objects, with tall pillars and elaborately decorated walls. Evie was delighted, and could hardly decide where to start looking first. Alex was almost in the same state. Willow was simply fascinated by the whole situation. While Evie had started off down a passage that had such an accumulation of webs from millennia's worth of generations of small spinning creatures, Rick and Ardeth had stepped away to discuss something, and Willow had the feeling that they were worried about danger.

She had decided to try to keep Alex from being under his parents feet, and gave him a tablet, asking him to draw the room from a single point, to put in everything he could see, as much detail as he could manage. She suggested that after he did the 'big picture', he should pick a smaller spot, like a single pillar, or a panel from the wall, and draw that. Maybe try to figure out what some of the carvings were. The heat and his own insistence on helping set things up had sapped his energy, and he'd agreed to stay fairly still and draw things for a bit, at least until he caught a bit of his breath again.

Things fell into a pattern over the first few days. Evie would disappear down her chosen corridor after breakfast, and Rick would hang around looking nervous. Often, Ardeth would disappear, which gave Willow an odd pang in her chest. She tried to ignore it, and instead focused on giving Alex some lessons in the morning, before the heat had grown for the day. There were now-small piles of old pottery that had been found in the building, which Evie had declared the remains of a temple. Willow was still trying to find out exactly who or what the temple had been dedicated to - after all, didn't a temple have to be for a specific something? Alex had helped build the scaffolding that they had used to examine the tops of one of the pillars, and overall, things were going quite smoothly.

Almost too smoothly.

Willow felt almost relieved when Alex had found a particular symbol on the wall and insisted that he had to go tell his Dad. He had been most insistent, although not rude about it, and had scrambled recklessly over a few sand covered steps, vaulting over a fallen partial pillar, the rest still reaching towards the ceiling in the front room. He had vanished down the corridor that Evie always went down in the mornings.

Studying the mark on the wall that had caused him so much excitement, willow smiled. She pulled out a small notebook and sketched the mark, shaped like a pyramid, a kohl-outlined eye placed about two thirds of the way up, twin figures flanking the eye. She tried to decipher exactly what they were supposed to be as she copied them. Were they supposed to be people? Or perhaps falcons or demi-god figures? Despite being able to draw the outlines of the shape, she wasn't certain at all what it meant. That was the trouble with symbols; they were all symbolic and if you didn't understand their code, well... It still looked very striking.

What had Alex meant, calling it his Dad's mark? She knew that Rick was originally from America, that he had spent several years of wild adventures, but... What was the connection between Rick O'Connell and this symbol? What did it mean, and how would it affect Rick's future?

Alex came slouching back, looking a bit dismayed about something. He looked so much like his father dressed like that: his button up shirt, the pocketed pants and solid boots, even a little hat. It was clear to Willow that Alex idolized his father.

"I'm supposed to show him the cartouche later. He said I should stay up here. Maybe build a better mousetrap or something." His voice carried such dismay as he spoke.

Willow smiled gently, trying to help Alex feel better. She could tell that he had really wanted to talk to his dad about the marking. "Well, I'm sure he just wants you to be safe. From what I know of abandoned buildings, they aren't always safe, parts of them might fall down. I'm also pretty sure that I read about the Egyptians building traps in their temples and tombs to discourage unexpected visitors. Not to mention the snakes and scorpions. I know that your dad would feel really bad if you got hurt down there."

Alex was still a bit depressed, so Willow talked to him, going for a bit of absurdity. They debated what features were important in a mousetrap, and how a person could try to make one. Alex had declared that she was being silly, and she had replied that it was a good exercise in creative thinking. Finally, Alex had worked out an idea. He had a plan to try to build a mousetrap.

Smiling, the two of them found the parts, and Willow watched at Alex built his contraption out of small bits of wood tied together with twine. He had made something entirely different from a normal mousetrap, and had baited it with a generous wedge of golden cheese. Now, all they had to do was let it sit, and see if the mousetrap worked.

Having designed and built the mousetrap, they moved to a shady area to work on Alex's homework, currently focusing on geography. They were going over some of the ancient empires, and defining where they were in terms of mountains, rivers, and modern national boundaries. It was pretty normal until Alex's little tripwire with jars and cans began to rattle, accompanied by harsh cursing, informing them that they had company. Someone was here, not Ardeth who knew about the wire and never set it off, but someone, no, make that several someones that were attempting to sneak inside.

end part 23.

There was sudden quiet as whoever had been attempting to sneak in stopped their cursing. Willow closed the atlas, whispering to Alex that he should hide. She watched as he scurried off, and tried to think of what she could do. She slipped over to a dark alcove, wincing at the little spiders inside. Whispering a few words, the alcove soon looked like a solid panel of stone, concealing her. She also conjured her crossbow, all the while hoping that she was simply being paranoid.

She watched Alex climb up the scaffolding, knowing that most people didn't look up, just around at eye level. Scarcely moments after he had made his ascent, the shadows appeared on the wall, showing men entering the ruins. Turning the corner and entering the hall, the one in the lead called out "ello ello… anybody home?"

He looked slightly grubby, his pale skin tanned a bit from the sun, his head shaved in an effort to ward off the vast heat of the desert sun. He was accompanied by another European looking guy, this one with a hat, and someone that looked a bit closer to native, having the darker coloration and the head - covering that Willow had seen since they had arrived. They trio looked like minions to Willow, human minions, but still. These were the expendable flunkies, the sort that someone would send to do their dirty work, be it fetch me this item, kidnap that person, or even, sometimes to kill.

She hoped that they wouldn't find Alex... or herself. They looked perfectly willing to hurt a small boy, or a small red haired woman. They had weapons, guns tucked into their belts, and the darker man carried at least one knife, gleaming in the torchlight.

Willow tried to breath very quietly as she watched the men search the stacks of items that Evie and Rick had already found. They looked unimpressed by the ancient pottery, by the models of boats, or the small carvings, the elaborate paint still vivid after thousands of years. They were looking for something. Willow wasn't certain if they were simply thieves, seeking gold and jewels from the ancients, or if they were searching for a specific item, something with a specific purpose, possibly mystical. Either way, they were bad news. She prayed that they would simply discover that whatever they were seeking wasn't here, and that they would go away.

The bald man went down Evie's corridor, apparently figuring that if they hadn't found the item yet, he might stumble onto it in the hall. He carried a torch in one hand, and a raised gun in the other. He looked dangerous, not world threatening dangerous, but scary guy with a gun dangerous. He wouldn't deliberately unleash a demon to end the world, but he could still kill someone. So, they were seeking a specific sort of something, and they were willing to split up to hunt for it.

Suddenly, one of them jumped, and exclamation of pain emerging from him as he clutched the back of his neck. Willow's eyes widened, and she turned to look at Alex, perched on the top of the scaffold. He held his slingshot in his hands. He had to have been responsible for that man's yelp. Alex was going to end up attracting their attention, and making them mad. She put down the crossbow, reluctant to use lethal force against humans.

Alex pelted the hat-man again, causing him to yelp and clutch the stinging spot with an almost exaggerated expression. Willow felt herself smiling at the sight, and she could hear Alex snicker. uh-oh. The dark man could hear it to, and he was looking around. Never promising when the bad guys know that you're there. He seemed to not see anything, and looked as if he had turned back to searching the boxes.

Alex sent another shot at the hat man, and the dark man turned, catching the little missile before it could hit the other. It was an impressive display of reflexes and perception. The dark man was glowering at the scaffolding, and started towards the ladder, pulling his knife and placing it between his teeth. It was an altogether menacing look. Willow was certain that the man wasn't acting. He had a knife, and he was going to use it on Alex.

Well, he was intending to at least. She wasn't about to cower in an alcove and let Alex be carved up like a thanksgiving turkey. She gathered her power, her mind focusing the energy and preparing to whisper the words to a spell, intending to turn the man into a rat. She felt something... some old tracings of power... right as it snapped.

The wall behind and beside Willow shook, and she could hear a rumbling noise, like a pounding roar. Loud roaring noises were never a good thing. Baldy suddenly burst from the hall, his movements jerky with panic. He yelled for the others to come on, to get out of there now, and Willow could hear the fear in his voice.

Knife man, had the hat man used a name for him? Chet or something like? He glared at Alex, then gracefully dropped down the ladder pushing forcefully on it as a parting shot. The three raced out the door as the rumbling noise got louder. It was starting to sound almost familiar to Willow, reminding her of swimming in the ocean, listening to the waves.

The rumbling got louder, and there was a tapping noise. Willow was trying to figure out what was going on when suddenly, two things happened. The wall, right where the tapping noise had come from, suddenly burst open, spilling immense quantities of brown water into the room, cascading over pillars and steps, swirling around the pillars and scaffolding. There were two figures in the water, but Willow had her attention fixed elsewhere. As the water hit the base, the scaffolding, already swaying dangerously from the man's parting shove, fell sideways, colliding with the pillar, sending Alex tumbling downwards and the pillar to rocking.

With a sharp gasp, Willow reached out with her magic, slowing Alex's fall so that he could land safely. The water was still flowing quickly, but it was more like the rapid flow of draining water, and the actual water level was dropping. As Alex landed in the now water covered sand, the pillar tipped over, headed straight for its closest neighbor. Willow had a sudden image of all the pillars falling over, one after another, like giant dominos. Possibly falling all around the room and crushing Alex. She couldn't permit that to happen.

She reached out again, this time using a few words to steady the power as she caught the pillar, halting it at an impossible angle, its top scant hand spans from colliding with its neighbor. She slowly began to raise it back into place, barely noticing the startled voices of Rick and Evie, or Alex's protest that he could explain everything.

end part 24.

Ardeth Bey had been contemplating things, well, perhaps it would be accurate to say that he had been brooding. He'd been thinking of the duty that he had inherited, along with the others of his clan, to protect the desert. He had been thinking about Willow, and trying to decipher the confusing mix of feelings that she inspired. Wondering how much of what he had thought he knew about magic was merely tradition, and how much was actually required for the magic to work.

He had started to care about Willow, not simply as someone that might need help, or know something important, but for her own sake. He had these warm and sweet feelings, and he felt almost possessive..

His thoughts were interrupted by the jangling feeling of magic. Not carefully patterned and organized, but loud, frantic and raw, a coarse display, using raw power instead of careful application. There was a feeling of concern to the power, as if someone were desperately trying to accomplish something, but there was no pain with it. It felt almost familiar... Willow!

He left the place where he had been thinking, hurrying to the ruins where Evie had been excavating. He hadn't detected any traces of Imhotep, or any other hostile spells, so he had thought they should be safe. Obviously, something was not right within the building. He saw three men, unfamiliar to him, fleeing the ruins, and then water began to spill forth, flowing out onto the sands.

He rushed into the temple, turning the corner just in time to see one of the massive pillars, leaning at a crazy, gravity defying angle begin to rise upwards, returning to its former position. Alex was on the ground near it, the scaffolding in a collapsed pile, and Rick and Evie were clinging to their boy, both adults completely soaked with the water that was still ankle deep inside. There was no sign of Willow.

The pillar righted itself, shifting slightly until it was as firmly settled as possible. Then, a section of the carved wall rippled, becoming an alcove containing Willow. She carefully stepped out, rubbing her hands over her arms as if chilled.

"Alex, are you okay? Rick, Evie, what happened to you? Where did the water come from?" Willow's voice was steady.

Ardeth moved towards Willow, wrapping his outermost robe over her, the hem falling to the water still covering the floor. She leaned into him, one arm curving around his waist. It felt.. perfect. He took a few moments to just savor the way she fit so nicely against him, the feel of her body next to his.

Evie was attempting to answer, something about finding a box, and that setting of a trap, the water flooding in from the Nile. No matter how much Ardeth was certain that he should listen to her, he was more interested in Willow, the warmth of her body, the scent of her hair... and she was still humming with magical power.

"Willow, what did you do? Did you catch the pillar?" He couldn't think of any other possibility for how it had defied gravity to return to its place.

Willow's voice was a bit muffled from being so close to his chest. He could actually feel the puff of her breath against him. "I caught Alex first, then the pillar after he was on the floor safely. I didn't want them to all fall down, I mean, would the roof fall with all the pillars down? Do they actually support it or are they decorative?"

He looked over Willow's head, catching the eyes of Rick, who looked worried. "There were three men who ran out of here. Who were they and what did they want?"

Alex answered. "They were bad guys, I'm sure of it. They came in, and the dark one had a knife and he was going to get me, and the others were searching for something in the boxes. I don't think they found what they were looking for, but... He was going to filet me!"

"They were looking for something in particular." Willow was speaking again, still clinging to Ardeth. "They didn't find what they wanted out here, and one of them was going down Evie's tunnel, trying to find... whatever. None of them felt like they had magic, but... they might have been looking for a talisman or artifact. Or they could have just been thieves trying to find something made out of gold... and what's in the box?"

end part 25.


	2. parts 26 to 31

The three men who had been searching the ruins had found themselves a truck. With that truck, they had drove away, to the site of another excavation, this one of a much larger scale. Dozens of workers were digging in what had become a large pit in the sand, seeking something, something known only to two individuals. One of those two, a large man with a red and white striped headdress slightly reminiscent of the ancient pharaohs was standing on a rise of sand, watching the workers toil beneath him, the heat from the sand making the air shimmer around the poor sweat soaked laborers.

The three men approached him, their expressions variations on regret and failure. They were attempting to explain why they had been unable to find the item that they had been sent for. As the man with the hat spoke, the leader's face grew angry, and his eyes glittered with fury.

Just as he was about to begin to explain in detail the numerous personal and ancestral failings of his hired minions, a figure approached, holding a gleaming golden shape in her arms. It was like a book, and it showed up like a gleaming promise against the lean woman's black shirt and black hair. Her eyes were bright with a cold pleasure, and her words lessened the anger of the man immediately.

"We're getting close." With those words, she adjusted her grip on the golden artifact, revealing it to be a book, bound in what appeared to be intricately carved gold. Symbols covered the front of it, the ancient sacred writings of the Egyptians, proclaiming that this was the Book of the Living.

Her words still hung in the air, rich with the promise of power when the first screams rang shrill and panicked from the pit. Near mindless with raw terror, the workers all began to scramble from the pit, as if they feared their very lives were forfeit if they remained a few seconds longer. Something had swarmed up from the ground, a dark shape that was filling the pit, covering the sands and spreading upwards, like a creeping stain. The darkness caught the few stragglers, and they fell, twitching and screaming before their screams were choked into silence, the bodies exploding with little dark bits outward.

Men in protective outfits, covered over with heavy white material and carrying flamethrowers moved forwards, spraying fire before them. As they moved towards the pit, the horde of scarabs was seared before them, heating with high pitched noises before the shells burst with loud pops, almost like some sick form of giant popcorn kernels. The panicked workers had made it from the pit, and some were watching with glazed eyes as the insect horde burned. Others had vanished, fleeing the pit as if they were pursued by some terrible force.

The man in the headdress, who carried himself as a man of importance and authority was smiling slightly, an expression that spoke of plans coming towards fruition. The woman was watching with a much less arrogant expression: simple glee at the fear of so many. Her face showed that the terror of the workers had delighted her, and it was through her feral smile that she spoke.

"Very close indeed."

The sun had not risen again before they had found what they had so ruthlessly been seeking. The crane had pulled forth the object from the grip of the earth, as if dragging forth some deeply buried treasure. The pale rays of the moon gleamed upon its surface, showing hints of the rounded and twisted curves over the mass. It was large, something that three men would have had to link arms to encircle, and it looked almost like a giant lump of amber. Inside, there was a shape, almost discernible.

Immediately, the shape was lowered, and very carefully, as if it were something rare and valuable, precious beyond all comprehension, the packing began. Soft cloths were wrapped around it, and it was carefully lifted into a huge wooden crate, which was then filled with the now cooled sands that had concealed it. Then, the man and the woman watched as the large box containing the object of their search was taken away, to be delivered with great care to the British Museum.

The rest of the preparations would have to wait until they were there, in the area below the museum. It should serve quite well for the ritual, and there would be a plentiful quantity of authentic objects to use. Soon, Imhotep would walk again. Soon, he would be great.

end part 26.

They had been able to finish the excavation of the ruins remarkably quick after that, and arranged to return to London. Rick and Evie were debating the origins and meaning of something that they'd found, a golden bracelet shaped like a scorpion. The same bracelet that Willow had drawn, that she had seen in her dreams. Evie thought that it was some sort of clue to finding an oasis, she called it the Oasis of Amon Shere.

For no reason that she could explain, the name set Willow on edge. It gave her this disturbed and worried feeling, as if the name spoke to something deep inside of her, and what it spoke was danger. She had pulled out the sketch that she had drawn, and looked at it, trying to determine what the bracelet could mean. Was it merely gold, shaped into something that held meaning to people from the distant past? Did it hold some sort of enchantment, or cause something to happen? Was it yet another pretty trinket that could destroy the world?

Why did so many people want to destroy the world anyhow? Wouldn't they get destroyed as well? Sort of going out with a big ugly bang? She began to ponder things, and concluded that normally, reasons fell into a few categories. Those who didn't care if they went as long as everyone else was destroyed. Those who felt that they would be rewarded in the afterworld. Those who wanted to remake the world, which mean that it had to be destroyed first. And those who were just insane and didn't know or care what would happen to themselves afterwards.

The whole trip, Willow had troubled dreams. More of that undead guy, Imhotep. More dreams where he kidnapped Alex, and now there was a pyramid surrounded by lush trees and shrubberies, with streams and waterfalls... it would have been a beautiful place except that it felt so evil. As if the plants were grown from the bodies of the slain, as if the whole thing were rooted in evil.

She'd probably feel almost at home there, actually.

They returned to London, and Willow had the oddest feeling, as if there was some dark and menacing presence in the area. Something that hadn't been there before, something dark and old and evil. It was an uncomfortable, frightening feeling. She found herself keeping close to Ardeth Bey, feeling slightly safer, or at least, distracted from her worries when she was near him. They would talk about his people, and Willow would have him tell her all sorts of stories of the history and traditions of his tribe.

"Willow. Do you feel it? In the air? There is something... like the breath of the wind from an old tomb, long abandoned and filled with corruption." His voice was worried.

"I feel something... It's evil, and old. I don't think it was here before. Whatever it is, it's dangerous, and I don't think it's from here. It doesn't... the feeling doesn't match, if that makes any sense." Her own voice was quiet, in an instinctive effort to prevent the danger that she sensed from detecting her.

He considered her words for a few moments, before nodding. "Yes, I understand exactly what you mean. The feeling of it... it is not from London, it is not a power born in this land of greenery and rain."

Willow focused on his words, a sudden sense of dread peaking inside of her. "Ardeth... you described this power as something that reminded you of old corrupt tombs. Does this... do you think it could be Imhotep? I've been having the dreams still, and there were those people trying to get something from Evie's dig. Do you think that someone could have found Imhotep?"

"But why? He was encased in a chrysalis, to be imprisoned. He could not free himself from it, and the mass was buried in the City of the Dead to prevent anyone from finding it... no, I forget that sometimes people act with a terrible folly, and let pride or ambition blind them to danger. It could be, but... if this presence is Imhotep, he has not yet come forth, he is not calling upon his power." Ardeth's voice was thoughtful, and full of unreadable emotions.

"oh, more of that again. Yeah, wake up or release the big nasty evil because you want something, and then surprise, the big nasty evil doesn't want to take orders, it wants to take over, and you're the first meal after a really long hungry time... Doesn't it ever occur to anyone that these dangerous nasties were locked up for a reason? I mean, hmm warning label: this guy destroyed villages, slaughtered hundreds... I'd want to leave him asleep or enchanted or imprisoned. Why do bad guys do such stupid things... umm, I'm babbling again, aren't I?" Willow realized the spill of her thoughts, and fell quiet with a sheepish expression of concern.

Ardeth looked at her, and one of his hands closed over hers comfortingly. "I have wondered about such things myself. All we can do is try to stop him again, possibly before he can come to power. Come, let us continue to the residence."

end part 27.

They continued, and caught a few taxis to take them and their luggage to the O'Connell house. Eventually, after a ride through air that felt cool and humid in comparison, they arrived at the house, which sat of the horizon like an ominous presence. Rick and Evie didn't seem to notice, and Alex seemed to busy fidgeting in anticipation of a good stretching run to notice anything.

They began taking the luggage inside, and Willow was slightly relieved to feel that her wards were still there, still intact after being away for several months. Clearly, she'd done something right when she'd set them. She just wanted to have a nice long soak...

Evie was talking to Rick, trying to convince him to go on another trip, after the Oasis, claiming that it would be so easy to go searching for it. Rick wasn't as fond of the idea, and seemed to want to stay home and relax a bit before going back to Egypt. The discussion continued for a brief time, and Willow could hear their voices growing fainter as they went up the stairs.

Alex seemed to be just wandering through the room, reminding himself of home and everything that he'd missed. He had been fairly good overall, but he'd missed home, and playing ball with some of the local boys, and visiting the museum.

Willow turned to look at Ardeth, to say something about Rick and Evie's discussion. Just as she opened her mouth, she felt something hammer against the wards that she'd set. It was a cold, tainted feeling energy, and if felt of pain and misery and ambition. She gasped, and her knees gave out, dropping her towards the floor.

Ardeth caught her, his expression one of concern and worry. His hands were firm and strong as he held her, and Willow tried desperately to catch her breath, to make sense of what had just happened.

"Something... broke the wards. Something evil. Not the big something that we felt, this was a cold something, and her power comes from pain." Her words were scarcely over a whisper, and Willow could feel herself trembling.

Ardeth pulled her close, trying to help her stop trembling, and then they heard the sound of gunfire coming from the upstairs. Rattling echoes, and numerous shots, and a few thumps and crashes filled the house.

Willow was only slightly behind Ardeth as he raced up the stairs, towards the gunfire. It was clear that whoever or whatever was inside the house was unfriendly. It wasn't too much of a stretch to think that they were connected to whoever was responsible for the arrival of the very ancient evil that they had both sensed, which meant that they had to get rid of these intruders.

Rick kicked open a door, and he leapt in, and they could hear fighting. Then, there was a sudden crash from downstairs, and with a sudden certainty, Willow knew that the second group of bad guys had arrived. If they were following form, they would be searching for something while the first group either caused a distraction or went after a hostage. Willow and Ardeth exchanged glances, and Ardeth went down to find out what was happening, Evie close behind him.

Willow went through the still open doorway, uncertain what she would see. Jonathan was tied to a chair, looking terrified. There were large men with guns fighting with Rick. Standing in the middle of the room, watching everything with an expression of nearly calm amusement was a woman in a long black evening gown, holding a snake.

That woman was the one that had broken the ward over the house. Willow could feel it, could feel the energy from the woman, like a chill in the air. She looked to calm, as if the violence wasn't a disturbance to her in the least, but with an undercurrent of amusement that convinced Willow that the woman was evil. Considering how calm the snake looked, she wasn't certain how human the woman was either.

"Get out of this house. You and yours are not welcome here." Willow's voice held a hint of power when she spoke, and also held a glimpse of the steel that lay beneath the smiling exterior. She also pushed a bit more power into her personal shields, and they began to glow faintly, now visible to the human eye.

The dark woman gave her a furious look, an expression suggesting that she wanted to curse Willow and her family for generations to come. "The time will soon come that you are not so arrogant, little spell weaver."

Between the almost civil looking confrontation between the two women, and the way that Rick was fighting off her armed men, the intruders began a retreat. A careful, guarded retreat, enforced with hostile glances and blows from Rick, but a definite retreat.

Rick and Willow had no way to guess that the real danger was in what was happening downstairs.

end part 28.

Downstairs, Alex had seen his parent going upstairs, probably trying some of that mushy stuff, like kissing each other. Which meant that they would be completely focused on each other, and not on what he was doing. Willow was over there, talking with that guy, the one in the long robes. They didn't look like they were kissing, but they were talking about something, and they looked like they weren't watching him either. That meant that he finally had an opportunity to see what all the fuss was about. Moving quickly, he opened the wooden box that held the bracelet, and pulled it out. It was big and impressive, all glittering gold. It had the scorpion of Anubis on it, and looked very impressive.

He pushed up his sleeve and snapped the bracelet over his arm, imagining that he was one of the ancient pharaohs, that this was his bracelet, and he was about to lead his army forth to defeat his enemies. Suddenly, the most unexpected thing happened. There was this odd humming feeling, and these images shot forth from the bracelet, images of Egypt. There were the ruins that his mum had found the box in, and mountains, and oh, he knew where that was!

The images vanished suddenly, and Alex hear this angry sound upstairs, rapid gunfire, and things crashing. That was scary, and could only be really bad news. Who could be shooting, and at what? A sudden thought occurred to him, Uncle Jonathan was here somewhere, maybe someone was shooting at his uncle? But why would anyone want to do that?

Then there was a noise behind him, and there were men coming into the house. Some of them had wicked looking knives, and he was feeling very afraid. Alex tried to back away, and bumped into a little corner shelf, which swayed a bit before toppling with a thud. One of the men saw him, and started over with his knife drawn, his expression menacing.

Then his mum was rushing down the stairs, her hair flying behind her, and she was shouting, her voice full of concern for him. Behind her was Ardeth Bey, the foreigner that was so interested in Willow. Soon, there was a big fight going, and to his pleased surprise, his mum was doing quite well.

Then one of then hit her in the back of the head, and another pulled a sack over her head, and they picked her up and carried her away. She wasn't moving, and Alex felt very, very worried. All of the other men started to go away as well. It was as if they had accomplished whatever they had hoped to gain... and one of the others was carrying the box.

Ardeth Bey was managing to hold one of the men down, although it was a bit close. The intruder was kicking and struggling. His Da came down the stairs with his Uncle Jonathan close behind, and went absolutely livid when he saw the men carrying off Mum. He ran after them with this sort of roar, and Alex was really worried. What if they had killed his mum?

As they were leaving, he heard one muttering something about a ritual, and that their boss would bring back someone who would make them all filthy rich. Alex didn't like the sound of that. What sort of ritual could they have in mind, and where did his mum and the old box fit in? He had the feeling that it could only be trouble.

"Damn it! No! Where are they taking Evie? Ardeth, does that guy have anything useful to say?" His father looked very upset, and maybe, just maybe a bit afraid.

His Da didn't want him to use those words. Said that they weren't good, and that he was smart enough to come up with other ways to say things. Maybe his Da was afraid about the ritual too?

"What sort of ritual did they mean? Why did they take Mum?" His voice quavered a bit, and Alex realized that he was on the verge of tears.

Ardeth Bey looked at him, and his eyes seemed awfully hard and unreadable in that moment. Alex felt almost afraid. Ardeth looked awfully scary in that moment, foreign and intense and oddly powerful, for all that his Da was taller and had more muscles. "What did you hear about a ritual?"

Alex swallowed once, and tried to will his tears away before they could fall. "One of them said that they had what they needed, and there was something about a big ritual, and their boss was going to bring back someone that would make them all as rich as kings. umm they had the box. The old one that Mum found."

Ardeth looked very disturbed. "They have the box? No, this is a disaster, this is perhaps the most terrible thing that they could have done here. With the bracelet, they can..."

Alex knew that he wasn't supposed to interrupt, but if the bracelet was that important... "They don't exactly have it. They have the box." He pulled back his sleeve, showing the glittering golden jackal head of the bracelet.

end 29.

"You have the bracelet of Anubis." Ardeth's voice was stunned, as if he was uncertain what to think of this new discovery.

"Umm... yes. I put it on and there was this whooosh of images, and it was like I was seeing Egypt. There were the pyramids and then a temple..." Alex sounded enthusiastic, as if in his excitement over the amazing images he could put off a measure of his worry over his mother.

"You have started a chain reaction that could bring about the next apocalypse." Ardeth's words were spoken quietly, but with an intensity and fear that terrified Alex.

"Where have they taken my wife!" Rick's voice was full of tension and concern.

"I... do not know. But, if they are after the Bracelet of Anubis, they can only be intending dangerous things.

"How are we going to save Mum?" Alex's plaintive voice raised into the darkness.

"Actually, I can help with that one." Willow gave an answer, her expression concerned. "I can cast a simple location spell, and it will lead us right to them. But it won't give me any idea what to expect when we get there."

"Spell? What's this about a spell? Is that bracelet gold? Is that real?" Jonothan's voice was still a bit shaken from his recent interrogation.

"Yes, a spell. I can use a magic spell to find Evie, the bracelet is gold, and it's possibly cursed, or at least had a horde of villainous people willing to kill after it."

"Then why are you so calm?" Jonothan sounded on the edge of panic.

"You, calm down." Rick pointed at Ardeth. "You, big trouble," while pointing at Alex, and then he turned to glare at Jonothan. "You, get in the car." He then looked over at Willow, his expression almost pleading. "You, spell."

Willow climbed into the car with everyone else, and closing her eyes, she concentrated on Evie. A few words came from her lips, a short phrase. A small glowing green light appeared, perhaps the size of a marble. "Okay, whoever's driving, follow the light."

The trip would have been soothingly uneventful, except that Evie had been kidnapped, the bad guys were probably intending to sacrifice her, and Alex might have started the apocalypse. Gradually, it occurred to Willow that they were going towards...

"I am sorry for alarming your son. But now that he has put on the Bracelet of Anubis, we will have only seven days to stop the rising of the Scorpion King, who will raise the Army of Anubis." Ardeth's voice was filled with tension.

"I take it that's not a good thing?" Jonothan was nervous.

"Oh, he'll wipe out the world." Rick's voice sounded almost casual, as if his emotions had gone still from all the sudden shocks.

"Ah, the old wipe out the world game." Jonothan sounded almost calm now, as if there was some strange logic emerging from all of this.

"Whomever can destroy the Scorpion King can send his army back, or use it to destroy the earth."

"Isn't this the way to the museum?" Alex's voice distracted the discussion from armies and world destruction.

They pulled up at the back of the British Museum, and Rick pulled a box from the car, opening it to reveal an assortment of guns and ammunition. As he removed them, the hieroglyph tattoo on his arm was visible to Ardeth.

"If I were to say to you 'I am a stranger traveling from the east, seeking that which was lost'." Ardeth's voice left a question at the end, inviting a response.

Rick slowed slightly, his eyes focusing on Ardeth. The words of his response were slow, carefully measured. "Then I would say I am a stranger traveling from the west, it is I for whom you seek. How did you..."

Ardeth reached out, turning Rick's arm so that the mark showed clearly. "Where did you get this mark?"

Rick gave a slight shrug. "It was slapped on me while I was in an orphanage in Cairo, why?"

"That marks means that you are a Protector of Mankind, a warrior, a medjai."

Rick picked up a belt of ammunition, his expression slightly distracted. "Sorry, you've got the wrong guy."

end part 30

Flickering light from rows of torches illuminated an oval of red robed people bowing and chanting a strange intonation, surrounding a large amber shape, like a cocoon in the center of the area. The boxes and crates had been moved back to allow the ceremony to be set up. To one side, there was a large block of stone, and to the other, a red garbed figure knelt, holding a big book open on his back, like a human podium for a man in a dark suit with a red head cloth. The air was filled with strange scents, and an unnatural feeling of warmth.

A large dark man, recognizable as the one who had threatened to take the box from Evie led a double row of big men in hooded red robes. They carried a platform which held Evie's still form, bound at the wrists with heavy ropes. They placed the platform on the block of stone while the man read a series of sharp words. The jostling of the platform caused Evie to stir, and she leaned up a bit, trying to look around her, to figure out where she was.

Glancing around, Evie's eyes settled on the amber mass, and she squinted, trying to decipher the darker shape inside. Suddenly, it shattered outward, and a desiccated figure emerged, flesh drawn and in some places entirely missing. A figure that had haunted her nightmares for years. "Imhotep."

Rick, Ardeth and Willow found their way into the museum, and the green light led them towards what should have been the receiving area. As they were passing through, they became aware of the sound, echoes of chanting, a man's voice speaking sharp words in a commanding tone. Suddenly, they could hear noises like dry hissing shrieks from one of the rooms ahead. They hurried, following the light to a balcony where they found their selves looking down upon the ceremony.

"You know, a couple of years ago, this would have seemed really strange to me." Rick's voice carried a small hint of wistfulness.

The red robed figures picked up the platform bearing Evie and began walking towards Imhotep, who seemed to be speaking to the black clad woman who had been threatening Jonothan. This provoked a bad feeling in all of them.

"Oh my god... they're going to throw her into the fire!" Willow's voice was barely more than a stunned whisper, but it was enough to send Rick leaping into action, seeking to save his beloved wife.

Leaping through the flames, Rick pulled Evie from the platform, helping her untie her hands. They tried to take cover behind some of the crates, and one of the red robed men produced a gun and began shooting at them. It was so obvious that they were used to working together. Rick passed Evie a gun, and began returning fire, trying to force the men to give them an opening to run back up to the balcony where Ardeth stood.

Willow surveyed the area, trying to decipher the traces of magic that were still thick in the air. "Magic spells to animate long dead bodies... can we say ick? And that's Imhotep... oh, what did I do to get prophetic dreams? Whatever it was, I'm really, really sorry..."

Rick shot again, this time the bullet ignited the formaldehyde instead of simply splattering it, and the flaming explosion created the needed gap for them to run for the balcony. Unfortunately, Willow wasn't the only one to notice the gap. Imhotep also saw it, and in response, he roared with apparent anger before grabbing a large dark urn, holding it up and chanting some words that reverberated with power.

Willow swayed a bit as his power flared, part of her wondering how he maintained the air pressure to talk when his ribcage had rotted away. She felt his power flare, and energy swirled into the urn, powerful energies much like the ones that had brought him forth... "He's calling minions!"

Four desiccated figures, dressed in remnants of Egyptian kilts, with impressive pectoral ornaments and odd hats swirled into being from the dust in the urn, and roared at them, their mouths gaping open impossibly wide, their bellow filled with anger and something similar to the bloodlust of a recently risen vampire. Still bellowing, the undead minions began to charge the stairs, their hands shriveled to a claw like appearance, and reaching towards them.

Her heart pounding, Willow threw a hasty spell, and a wall of pale greenish yellow flame blocked the stairs in front of the minions. She felt something, and looked up, seeing Imhotep facing her, his body language projecting shocked outrage.

"Time to get out of here..." Willow bolted for the door along with Ardeth, Rick, and Evie.

They ran, hearing the frustrated howls of the undead creatures following them. Finally, they reached the door, and Rick slammed it shut behind them and for a moment, Willow was entirely focused on charging for the car. Feeling as if she had just been hit in the stomach, she felt her firewall go down.

"Honey, what are you doing?"

Rick's voice, apparently directed away from them made Willow look up, and she saw Evie trying to drag a wood and metal bench in front of the door.

"These people don't use doors." Rick Grabbed Evie, almost dragging her away.

Willow frowned, and set a barrier across the section of the building. It covered the door, and a wide expanse to either side, and at least ten feet above the ground. "That should slow them down."

end part 31.


	3. parts 32 to 40

Rushing back to the parking area, they discovered that Jonothan had broken the key to the car, and they would need an alternate form of transportation. He had grabbed one of the museum busses, something with plenty of room for all of them. They rushed onto the bus, Ardeth detouring just enough to grab the rest of the ammunition and a few more weapons from the back of the car. Willow tried to reassure herself that this wasn't a complete disaster, they had rescued Evie, nobody had been killed, she'd put up a barrier... But weren't busses a bit slow?

"Drive, and drive fast. The barrier won't hold them forever."

Jonothan started the bus forward with an awkward lurch, and they began moving away from the museum. Howls could be heard from the museum, and Willow could feel the minions pounding against the barrier, feel it shudder every time they struck it, not from the physical force of it, but from the magic that had animated them. If Imhotep decided to break the barrier, it would fall quickly. Nobody complained about Jonothan's uneven driving, or the way the speed and bumps in the road made the bus lurch, almost throwing them to the sides.

There was a sudden crash of destructive magics against the barrier, and Willow felt it snap, the snapping of it back lashing to her, her face going pale as she dropped to the floor of the bus. "He broke the barrier... they're going to be after us."

"Willow? Are you... you look unwell." Concern was laced through Ardeth's voice.

"Imhotep broke the barrier. It's just the backlash... and I really don't like the feeling of his magic. It's all gritty and dark, and it feels old, like... like the first bit of air when you open up a room that's been shut for a long time?" She smiled at him, touched by his concern. Was it just because she was helping? Could there be more behind it, maybe enough more that he cared for her? She found herself gazing into his eyes, memorizing the shape of his face, the feeling of his hand on her shoulder...

"Guys? We have company." Rick's voice dragged her out of her moment, a moment that he also seemed to have been lost in.

Looking out the windows on the back of the bus, it was easy to see the minions chasing them. The fact that they were undead meant that mortal limitations didn't apply to them, and they kept up with the bus, actually gaining ground as they watched. Rick picked up a large gun, and shot at the minions, the bullet hitting one and sending it to the ground in a twisting pile. Rick grinned, hopeful that the thing would stay down. Ardeth took aim at a second minion, the bullet causing the shoulder of it to jerk back.

Unfortunately, the minions were made of more durable stuff than mere mortals, and despite being shot they kept pursuing. After a few more shots had been fired, the four minions parted, two to the right and two to the left, and instead of running on the street behind, they were running over the sides of the buildings, in defiance of gravity.

"How... " Rick was not happy with the new development, and was clearly reluctant to shoot at the passing buildings.

"Let me try something..." Willow had an idea. Magic had rebuilt these things from the sandy dust in that urn, could she use magic to turn them back into dust? She concentrated on one of them, and felt her whole world narrow down to the shriveled mass of reconstituted flesh, and the threads of magic that were giving it shape. She reached out, seizing the threads of power that tried to shift in her grasp like a handful of sand. She yanked, pulling the threads of power apart, and the creature just... disintegrated into dust, falling in a scattering of powder to the street.

Her head was throbbing now. Imhotep's power was strong, and the shape of his spells was unfamiliar. Both of those things made it much harder to counter his efforts. She knew that she wouldn't be able to destroy all four minions by herself.

"Willow! That was... can you do that again?" Rick was amazed, and a bit worried. What were the limits of Willow's abilities?

"Maybe one more minion, but... there's no way that I can get them all. His magic is pretty strong." Concentrating once more, she reached once more, to the pair of minions running to the left. She grabbed for the threads of power, trying to rip them apart, to scatter the minions to the mercy of the wind. She felt one give way, its body falling to dust in the wind. The second came loose, but her pull had lacked the power to break its cohesion. She tried again, and with a sickening sinking feeling, she felt her energy give out, and she sank to the floor, darkness claiming her as she sank into a dreamless unconsciousness.

She was unaware of Ardeth catching her, of the concern in his eyes and near panic as he frantically checked to make certain that she was still breathing, the tender way that he put her on a seat to be a bit safer than the middle of the floor. Had Willow seen this, she would have had no doubt of Ardeth's feelings for her, his love and concern were obvious to anyone who looked at him. As chance would have it, only Evie and Alex saw his face, read the concern.

With only two undead minions attacking and trying to get inside, Ardeth and Rick were able to keep them from getting inside, although they ended up with holes blasted into the roof and walls of the bus. Bits of the minions that had continued to move after being separated had made their way in, although some of them were crumbling at the separation, leaving bits of sand behind them every time something hit against the broken end.

And everything would have been much better if not for the fact that their enemies had plentiful resources. Somehow, the mortal men working with Imhotep and the curator had a car, and they managed to cut off the bus. Jonothan was only an indifferent bus driver, so he had to pull the bus to a stop to avoid colliding with one of the cars. While he was trying to shift gears and get them out of there, the bus was boarded by several large men, who grabbed Alex and dragged him away, heedless of his protesting shouts and thrashing kicks. Rick was prevented from pursuit by the door being shut in his face, and one of the men punching him through a hole blasted into the door. He was left stunned long enough that the kidnappers got into the car and were away, accelerating fast enough that despite chasing after the car, Rick could not catch them.

end part 32.

"They took my son." Rick's words were a pained whisper into the night air. He was staring down the bridge, looking as if a vital piece of him had been torn out.

Ardeth came out, placing one hand on Rick's shoulder in a gesture of reassurance. "We will get him back. They will undoubtedly seek to use him to go to the valley of Amon Shere, to seek the Scorpion King. We must follow them and rescue Alex. Did he not mention the pyramids? We shall have to start there on our quest."

"He's only seven... What can he do against them? How will we get to him in time?" Rick's voice was low, as if he feared that voicing his worries would lend them strength.

Jonothan's voice carried over to them. "So, do we know anyone that can get us to Egypt within twenty four hours or less? This sounds very urgent. And is Willow alright? I don't see her..."

Ardeth's answer carried traces of worry and something else. "She collapsed after causing the second undead tracker to disintegrate. She's on one of the bench seats of the bus. With good fortune, she will revive soon."

Carefully, they brought her into the mansion as they tried to figure out what would happen now. They knew that it was important to get Alex back, not just for his own safely, but for the safety of the whole world. But how? Ardeth sat by Willow's side, one hand slowly stroking her hair as he tried to figure a way to follow the undead sorcerer. Hadn't Alex said something about the pyramids? Had he meant the three pyramids of Giza? How could they get there in time?

It was then that Rick remembered a few of his less reputable friends. People he'd spent a great deal of time getting in and out of trouble with before he'd met Evie. People who knew all sorts of ways to get into and out of places, fast, or unnoticed, but rarely both at the same time. But the only people they needed to worry about this time were the bad guys, not the police. Surely that would make things simpler.

"I think we might be able to do this. I know some people... I just need to make a few phone calls."

Meanwhile, Willow had began to dream. They were strange images, confusing fragments of her life in Sunnydale set among ancient ruins. She walked through a sand choked hallway carved with hieroglyphs, and entered the high school library, finding Jesse and Tara sitting at the table. They looked as if they were waiting for her, and Willow could feel tears well up in her eyes at the sight of them.

"I've missed you both. But... how are you here? This... it's all jumbled." She was hugging them both, too overjoyed by the sight of them to wonder why she was seeing or dreaming of her dead friends.

"We needed to say goodbye. Nothing turned out how I expected, how either of us expected. I'm sorry to have left you alone, Wills. I'm sorry I never got to tell you goodbye." Jesse's voice was soft, filled with more maturity than she could ever remember from him.

"Time doesn't matter as much to spirits. I'm sorry Willow, there aren't enough words to tell you how much I regret that the last thing we did was argue." Tara tucked her hair back, her words without the nervous tremor that had so often plagued her.

"I'm a bit sorry that I wasn't around to see how gorgeous you grew up to be." Jesse's voice was teasing, more the way she remembered him.

Willow could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Tara... I'm sorry."

"For what?" Tara looked at her, smiling gently.

"Ardeth." Willow's voice cracked with the complex load of emotions that he inspired in her. "You haven't been gone very long, and here I'm... I feel like I'm betraying your memory."

"No, there's nothing wrong. The fact that you care for him doesn't mean that you cared any less for me. But what we had is over now. Don't be afraid to love again." Tara was looking encouraging.

Jesse grinned at her. "If he'll make you happy, go for it. And if he breaks your heart, I'll... well, I really don't know what I can do. But I want you to be happy."

The library walls and the stacks of books were eroding into tiny specks of colorful sand, as if they were being reclaimed by the desert. She could see her mother standing outside, talking to the minions of Imhotep, trying to analyze their behavior, accusing them of having exhibitionist tendencies, and being clearly insecure in their life and their choices if they were willing to become someone's minions for all eternity. Then she tried to blame it on the bad influence of 'the bunny girl'.

Willow's sleepy murmur of 'but mom, they never met Buffy, they died thousands of years too early, and Buffy hasn't been born yet...' drew Ardeth's attention immediately, distracting him from Rick's fragmentary statements of an old friend who owed him, and something about a balloon.

Ardeth pulled her close to him, hugging her as he murmured things in his own tongue, things that Willow didn't understand. But he sounded as if he had been very worried. Was some of that concern for her? She hoped so. She didn't want another unreturned crush, or maybe more than a crush.

end 33.

They did not know that at that very moment, a small group of people looked out at London, planning for the future. Imhotep, his mystically animated body scarcely more than a skeleton wrapped with withered remnants of muscle and skin, oddly whole eyes over fleshless cheeks walked out, standing beside the woman who had proclaimed herself the reincarnation of his beloved Anak-Su-Naman. She was looking over the city, her smile cold and calculating.

*Soon we will be at Amon Shere. I will kill the Scorpion king, and then...* His voice had an odd quality to it, most likely caused by the fact that physically, he should not be able to speak.

She turned, looking at him with an expression of anticipation. *And then we will rule the world.*

The Curator approached, a bit hesitant, no longer certain that Imhotep would be guided by his advice. *My Lord? They have the Scepter of Osirus.*

*It will not matter. By the time we reach Amon Shere, my powers will have fully regenerated, and I will have no need for the Scepter.* He turned away from the curator, his attention once more on the woman. He brushed one leathery hand over her cheek, and then, as his power caused his memories of his mortal life to flow into her mind, they kissed.

In practically no time at all, the careful preparations for their departure were set into motion, and they were on their way to Egypt, the party increased by one unhappy boy, trying to hide his fear. The large guard who had been in his parent house carried him towards a train car, a small unfriendly smile on his face. Alex had the feeling that wherever it was that he was being taken, it wasn't going to be fun.

Alex wasn't certain if he was relieved or not when the dark haired woman motioned for the guard to stop. She walked over, her dark gown clinging to her, reminding Alex of dark wings over a fly... no, she wasn't a fly, she was something nasty and evil and poisonous.

She brushed one hand over his cheek, her nails tracing little lines into his skin. Her voice was a syrupy coo, and it set his nerves on edge. "You will behave for us, won't you?"

"Why would I behave for you? I don't even behave for my parents." Alex wanted to get away from the woman.

Her smile held no warmth, and reminded him of a nasty dog snarling. "Because your parents wouldn't put poisonous snakes in your bed." She gestured for the guard to continue, to take him to see their leader.

He was dragged into a room, the walls partially concealed by rich panels, illuminated by flickering torches with something like an alter set up at one end. There was a tall figure in long robes, his entire body concealed from sight. Alex got a really bad feeling about the person in the robes.

*I know that you can understand me, little one. You must listen carefully, because you are the chosen one. You will lead me to Amon Shere. The sands of time are running out.* The voice had an odd echoing quality.

Suddenly, Alex knew that he didn't want to know what was under the mask. There was something horrible wrong, unnatural and evil. "Because I have the Bracelet. I've heard all that already. What if I... get lost?"

*Did they tell you that if you are not within the pyramid by sunrise of the seventh day, you will die?*

Alex felt fear twist in his stomach, and the flicker of courage that he'd managed to hold on to ebbed away. "umm... I missed that part."

The robed figure nodded, as if unsurprised by this statement. *Do you have anything else to say?*

Alex mustered a little bit of something, almost courage. "My Dad is going to kick your ass."

The robed figure knelt down, the mask that covered his face level with Alex's face. Reaching up with one gloved hand, he removed the mask, revealing a withered skull with a gaping hole over the temple, desiccated bits of flesh clinging to bones, and two moist eyeballs resting in the sockets. *I do not think so.*

Alex gasped in fear, all too willing to allow the large guard to haul him away, to busy being relieved that the man was actually a real living man, and not some sort of thing like the robed person.

He really wished that Willow could be here with him. She would make everything less scary somehow.

end part 34.

Willow felt almost as if she'd been carried away by some sort of whirlwind as they made their trip to Egypt. There was a feeling of panic and urgency, as well as something that wasn't quite hopelessness, but a sort of desperate determination in the face of horrible odds.

They'd arrived here, in this city that she hadn't quite caught the name of. It was a little past midnight, and Rick and Ardeth had gone to try to accomplish a few things. Rick needed the location of one of his old friends, someone that he hoped could provide them transportation. Ardeth had said something about warning his people, needing to let them know that the danger they had been born to defend against had arisen. Evie and Jonathan had retired to a hotel room, exhausted by the trip and their fears.

She couldn't sleep. They'd been served tea on the train, and now she was wide awake, even if it was the alertness of caffeine and sugar. She had the feeling that this would be very dangerous, and had a feeling that she might want to try to pick up a few little supplies. Things for protective spells, and some for major healing spells. Just in case.

The market of this city was... amazing. Little shops had everything from wine to spices to silks and tapestries to perfumes to dried fruit to rare herbs and oils. It was that area that Willow went towards, knowing that the things she needed might be expensive, and would not be in the main area of the market.

The narrow streets made her shiver, not from the chill, but from the certainty that they would be the perfect hunting grounds. The streets twisted and turned, causing people to vanish from view within seconds. Sometimes, a few seconds was all it took.

She could feel someone following her. Opening her sense a little, she felt the cool presence of a vampire, not terribly hungry, several centuries old, and... right behind her.

Willow spun around, her eyes wide with worry. There was what looked like a man behind her, dark hair and eyes and skin proclaiming that he was from this region, his ancestors had lived here and so had he. He was dressed in dark robes, not dark for ritual and meaning like Ardeth's, just... dark to blend with the night. He was looking at her, his eyes curious, hands at his sides, no visible weapons, although considering that he was a vampire, he really didn't need any. She could hear the babble of people from the building next to them, some sort of tavern or restaurant.

He spoke to her, his voice calm, his words accented. "What brings someone here, when it is clear that you are from foreign lands?"

He was being civil... always better than random attacking. "There is a very old very dangerous something out there. I'm not sure how to label him... he's old, and was cursed to eternal suffering... Once, he was a priest to a powerful Pharaoh, and now... he's the walking dead. All withered and evil power."

The vampire recoiled, eyes widening as they flickered amber for a moment. "no... Not the one who was cursed to the Living Death, his body food for the Eternal Scarabs, his soul bound in torment to his body for all time? One who betrayed his King, broke his vows..."

The way he phrased that reminded her of Ardeth. "You were one of the medjai, weren't you? Yes, it's... him. We're trying to stop him from gaining power over the Scorpion King."

"He has power over the sands, over all of the Old Kingdom. How can you stand against him?" His voice was curious, and held more than a little concern.

Willow thinned her shields, knowing that the vampire would feel her power. "I know some magic. Not the same as the traditions of the Medjai, but I can do a few useful things. If I don't stand against him, who will? If I won't try to stop him... there isn't a place remote enough, or a hole deep enough to hide if he gains the Army of Anubis."

The vampire closed his eyes, reminding Willow of a cat basking in sunlight. "Truly, you are powerful, sorceress, and your words hold truth. I can only offer you my humble wishes of good luck in your efforts. Know you that Samir al Hanbran wishes you well, and I shall let it be known that your mission places you beyond the bounds of hunting, you and your companions. By what name shall I call you?"

The noise from the building crested to appalling levels as she answered, drowning out most of her words. "... Rose..."

"If you seek the herbs and oils for powerful magics, go to the sign of the Eagle. The door will be hidden unless you seek it with magic, and once you go inside, they should have everything that you need. Seek it two streets to the west." He gave a small bow, offering her respect.

She gave a smile and a half bow, and continued trying to find her supplies, leaving the strange vampire in the alley, hopeful that his influence would be enough that they went undisturbed for the short time that they were here.

In the alley, Samnir watched the powerful sorceress go, her presence humming in his bones. He'd never met anyone that strong... She had a strange, foreign beauty, like a delicate flower. Much like the flower that had been the only part of her name he'd caught. The Rose.

end part 35.

To Willow's dismay, Ardeth hadn't returned by the time Rick was getting everyone ready to travel in the morning. She wondered for a sleepy moment how he would find them, but then she remembered: not only had Rick told him the name of the person he was looking for, but he could just use a tracing spell. He'd gone to seek his people, surely he would be safe.

As it turned out, Rick's 'old friend' had a small business in one of the well, Willow wanted to think of it as a suburb of this city. They didn't exactly merge, but people from the small village worked in the city, and came to the city to sell and buy things. She was feeling a bit sleepy as they approached the small, somewhat run-down building, a faded sign proclaiming 'Magic Carpet Air trips'.

The tall wooden gate opened, and a man in what Willow couldn't help but think of as aviator leathers emerged, taking a few steps before looking up and seeing the smiling face of Rick O'Connell.

"Izzy!" Rick's voice was cheerful, the particular sort of cheer that meant he wanted something.

The man, Izzy, stopped, and an almost desperate plea of "Oh no, not you." was the only warning before he turned around and ducked back inside the gates, slamming it shut behind him.

"He definitely remembers you." Evie's voice held a bit of dry humor as she spoke to her husband.

Willow could feel herself snickering, amused by the whole thing for the moment. She wasn't at all surprised when Rick pulled a gun, shooting the lock of the gate before kicking the door open. Sometimes, he just reminded her so much of Buffy that it almost hurt. They even had the same eyes.

She trailed after Jonathan as he struggled with the luggage. When a quick glance showed that nobody was watching, she murmured a small spell that made her luggage as well as some of the rest float after her, far easier to transport. They were going to be headed after Alex in... the most battered, beat-up, old blimp that she'd ever imagined. Dear God...

She heard Izzy speaking to Rick, catching the defensive "she's faster than she looks. And quiet."

There was a thunder of hooves, and Willow turned, her jaw dropping along with everyone else's at the sight. Thirteen robed men mounted on the prancing desert horses, their robes billowing, their horses hung with tassels. One carried a falcon upon his hand, and near the center was Ardeth Bey.

Ardeth walked towards them, his robes billowing dramatically. "These are the chieftains of the twelve tribes of the Medjai. If he does manage to gain power over the Army of Anubis, they will do everything in their power to stop him." At a gesture, the falcon flew to his hand, alighting with a calm that seemed almost uncanny. "With Horus, we will be able to keep them appraised of our progress."

Rapidly, they loaded everything onto the boat-like passenger portion, and slowly, gracefully, they lifted into the air. The view was impressive.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Jonothan's voice held impatience, and the same worry that filled Rick and Evie's faces.

Izzy looked at him, annoyance on his face. "The engine only has so much fuel. The only other source of movement is the wind. So, unless you can whistle us up a tailwind, no, we can't go faster."

Jonathan looked a bit chastened, and his quiet 'oh, sorry then' seemed to deflate him.

"I'm not too good at whistling, but maybe I can come up with something." Willow's voice was soft, and nearly unnoticed in the tension filled air. Sighing, she carefully reached out, feeling for the currents of the air. She tried not to disrupt anything else as she tried to urge a wind to carry them towards the faint pull of Alex.

The answering gust made Izzy and Jonothan both gasp, and Ardeth's hand fell comfortingly on her shoulder. Their speed had easily doubled.

"How long can you sustain it?" Ardeth's voice was low in her ear.

She looked at him, her eyes bright with purpose. "As long as I need to."

But even with mystically maintained tailwinds, they could not catch up to Imhotep. They followed, aided in part by the trail of models that Alex had left them, signs of the next stop on the desperate race against time. They weren't catching them, but they were slowly gaining.

They only hoped they weren't gaining too slowly.

end part 36.

Eventually, the pursuit of the undead sorcerer brought them to a series of twisting canyons. As the dirigible floated between the towering walls, the winds slower to allow navigation, Willow began to get an odd feeling. It prickled at her, like drops of icy rain down her spine. But there was something almost familiar about it, and she could feel her body half tensing, preparing herself to fight. Just like she would have at home... Glancing over, she saw that Ardeth was frowning as well.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Her words were soft, not wanting to alarm the others.

Ardeth nodded, a thin line on his forehead betraying his worry. "There is a dark power here, something evil and old. I am surprised that you can be so calm as you sit there."

Reaching one hand out, she let the air from the canyon flow over her skin. She tried to feel and understand the energy flows in the area, to try to figure out what was ahead of them. She could feel the power, like sand and wind and something that felt like the green of algae. But the feeling of darkness, of corruption was familiar, almost like a breath of home, seasoned with old magics from Egypt. "There's evil... and corruption. But it's Egyptian, otherwise it reminds me of home. But the energy... I don't think it's a Hellmouth. When we get there, there will be dangers. And there's enough power and evil that I won't be able to feel Imhotep until we're very close to him."

Ardeth shuddered. "I can not imagine living over such darkness. How did you ever learn to control your power?"

"With a lot of accidents and things going wrong. It wasn't fun. But I'd been there all my life... it wasn't until I ended up in England that I understood how different things were elsewhere." Her almost smile hinted at the frustration of her studies.

Then, there was something, a shift in the air, no, in the magic flowing through the air. They both felt it, their hearts speeding as their senses screamed in warning. Ardeth sent the falcon Horus into the air, a desperate effort to keep the Medjai aware of what was going on.

"Izzy! We need to move faster! It's very very important..." Willow's frightened warning was interrupted by a deep rumbling noise, almost like thunder.

Izzy was frantically pushing at buttons and shifting levers as the rumbling sound drew closer. The scent of water filled the air as a humid wind struck them, pushing the dirigible a bit as the engine kicked in, sending them forwards with a jolt just as the towering wall of water came into view. Evie and Jonothan screamed, staring in horror at the face in the water, sixty feet tall, the unmistakable features of Imhotep.

Combining the full thrust of the engines and using the winds, they sped away from the huge wave. Suddenly, as if in answer to a prayer, the canyon wall opened to the right, and with a hard turn, they turned down the side passage, the engine beginning to rattle ominously. But the force of the turn had flung them to the ground, the spray of the wave drenching them as it had roared past, still inside the main canyon.

"Was there something that you forgot to mention?" Izzy sounded halfway between furious and terrified, shouting at Rick as he pulled himself upright, half collapsing over the wheel.

Jonothan had picked himself up, and turned around, looking ahead of them. He froze, gaping for a few moments. "ahh... I think you should see this."

Those words came mere moments before the dirigible shot out into the air over a valley, lush trees filling the bowl of the valley, waterfalls and streams glistening like silver in the sunlight. A pyramid rose in the heart of the valley, something incredibly brilliant glistening at the top like a piece of the sun brought to earth. Unfortunately, the engines sputtered, wisps of dark smoke rising from them.

"Dark smoke from engines is never a good thing." Willow's words fell into the still air.

As if waiting for recognition, the engine sputtered one last time before falling silent, the smoke going from delicate wisps to a vast, choking cloud that reeked of oil. As if that wasn't enough, they were slowly sinking, the mass of the balloon becoming less firm. There must have been some sharp stones caught up in the water, sharp enough to tear the cloth, releasing the air.

"This can't be good." Jonothan stated the obvious, his whole body showing nervous tension.

As if the forces of fate were laughing at them, the rumbling came back, and the wall of water emerged from the canyon wall, crashing into their vessel with brutal force. Izzy tried to keep them aloft, but no amount of skill could prevent the craft from going down, the impact of the water collapsing the balloon, hurling them towards the trees. It came to rest by a small cliff, towering trees slowing the descent as the branches snapped and shattered with loud noises that seemed to carry far better than they should in the humid air. Vines as thick as Willow's ankles roped over trees and rocks, and the space under the trees seemed dark and gloomy. Almost dark enough for vampires... They landed abruptly, the impact causing the basket to shudder, nearly hurling them to the ground. Izzy insisted on staying to try to repair his ship, which it desperately needed. Perhaps the dark forest frightened him, it certainly seemed to frighten everyone else.

They started towards the middle, knowing that the massive pyramid would be the destination of Imhotep. This was the oasis of Amon Shere, the dwelling of the Scorpion King, chosen and bound to Anubis. The ritual would take place in the pyramid if at all. Time was running out, and they had to try to rescue Alex before it was too late. Willow clutched at her carry bag, carefully wrapped herbs and oils inside giving it a reassuring weight.

"I don't think this forest is empty. Something lives here, something evil and predatory." Willow wished that she had some idea what to expect.

With small noises that sounded almost like chirps of welcome, a falcon flew down, fluttering around Ardeth as if seeking his attention. He reached out with his hand, the falcon landing on his arm, over one of the straps holding a knife, allowing his arm to be undamaged by falcon claws. Ardeth seemed to look into the bird's eyes, and they both grew very still before the falcon once more took to the air.

Horus had been in the air only a few minutes before there was a loud noise, a gunshot from the south. Ardeth spasmed, his body shuddering as his face grew pale. "Horus!"

He took a few steps towards a gap in the tree branches, his eyes scanning the patch of sky. Ardeth was frowning, one hand skimming over the straps that held the knife at his wrist. "I must warn the Medjai... we must make preparations to try to fight the army of Anubis."

"No... I need you here. You have to help me find my son." Rick's words were tight with the desperation of a parent. He didn't know if his son would be safe, and he needed to save him.

Ardeth looked torn. If the medjai were not warned, the army of Anubis might run unchecked. But he wanted to stay, to help Rick. His dark eyes flickered back and forth, showing his conflicting desires.

end part 37.

Willow touched his arm, her fingers curling over him, savoring the feel of his muscles. "What about a spell to communicate with the Medjai? If there's someone that you can contact... then you can warn them now and still be able to help rescue Alex."

"A spell to contact... it would require dried aloe and lotus oil, which I do not have. And I am not certain I could reach anyone from here." There was a sorrow in his eyes.

She smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Well, that's simple then. I picked up a few things before we left, and I happen to have both dried aloe and lotus oil. I'll work with you, if we combine our power, there should be enough for you to warn the Medjai."

They paused in a small area that was almost a clearing, the trees a bit farther apart. Willow knelt down, pulling from her bag the dried aloe, which looked like shriveled, spiny lengths, almost like something that could have been attacking some pitiful water dwelling creature, and the vial of lotus oil. She glanced at Ardeth, suddenly unsure how he meant to proceed. So many of his spells worked differently than her own magic... He smiled at her, producing a short sword with a broad blade and a small knife. He carved slivers of the aloe, letting them fall to the blade of the sword. Then, he tipped the vial, allowing the lotus oil to wet his finger, and brushed it over his eyelids and ear lobes, reaching over to do the same to Willow. He then applied the knife to the tip of his smallest finger, allowing a few drops of blood to fall onto the slivers of aloe. He then reached out, linking his hands to Willow's and began a soft chant in a language that Willow didn't recognize.

She felt his energy entwining with her own, like warm, golden sunlight over cool green. The combined power went out, seeking an image in his mind, the look and feel of someone, one of the Medjai mages. After a while, she couldn't say how long, the questing tendrils of the spell began to touch what had to be auras, testing each one until it found the right person, the mage that Ardeth was trying to contact.

Against her eyelids, she saw the image of the other mage's face, his skin bearing blue tattoos like Ardeth's, but more of them. A network of creases and lines framed his eyes and lined his mouth, and his hair was a dark grey from the passing of many years.

-Ardeth... what has happened? Are you not beyond the range of your power to reach us? Where is the abomination?-

-My father, we have found the oasis of Amon Shere, and have seen the pyramid. But our vessel was broken, and we may not be in time to prevent the army of Anubis from being raised.- Ardeth's mental words were filled with worry and urgency.

There was a sense of deep fear and worry from the older mage. -This is very grim news. But how... you are combining power with another. Who?-

-She is Willow, the woman swept from her time to the home of the O'Connells. She is a sorceress in her own right, and has surprising skills.- There was something like pride in his mental voice as he mentioned her.

-If we survive this, bring her too meet us. I shall gather the army of the Medjai, and we shall be ready to face the army of Anubis if you can not prevent their release. May the winds of the desert smile upon you, my son.-

Ardeth released the spell, his hand shaking just a bit as he made a gesture over the slivers of aloe, which had somehow burned to fine grey ashes. "The army of the Medjai shall be gathered. We must hurry if we are to prevent the release of the army of Anubis."

They resumed their trek, hoping to make rapid time to the pyramid, praying that they weren't already too late. Rick and Evie were discussing the fragments of legend that Evie could recall of the valley, attempting to plan ahead. Jonothan seemed very nervous, and Willow had the definite impression that he was wishing he was back in England where it was safer.

Of course, that got her thinking about what England was for Jonothan, familiar, safe, home, the birthplace of his family. And that made her wonder... exactly why did Ardeth want to introduce her to his family? "Ardeth? Why exactly did your father want to meet me?"

Ardeth made a few little noises, as if he was trying to find the words to answer and failing utterly. He also seemed to be blushing. "I... think it would be good for you to be able to speak to other mages. And... I think... I hope that you would like my family."

Willow smiled, delighted that he would want her to meet his relatives. Could that possibly mean... did she have a chance for a future with him? Provided that they survived this, of course.

end part 38.

Alex shivered as he looked around. The sorcerer, the one that seemed to be running things was impatient to get to the pyramid. Earlier that day, he'd sent a giant wall of water after Alex's parents, most likely leaving them crushed and drowned, their bodies either drifting towards the ocean or laying on the rocks, food for the scavengers. Either possibility was horrible, and the images left him feeling hollow and numb inside.

Oh yes, the royal dead guy was looking much less scary now. He didn't look like a shriveled up body now, he looked almost normal. Except for the fact that people didn't normally run around in linen kilts anymore. He looked like a piece of ancient Egypt brought to life... which was fairly close. But he wasn't alive.

They were walking through the jungle, thick ferns and vines making it hard to see, hard to walk. Especially since Imhotep had apparently ordered them to keep traveling, and it was now night. Soldiers carried torches, their smoky light illuminating small patches. There were noises, the sounds of crickets and something else that made an almost peeping chirpy noise, the whine of insects, most of which seemed to be mosquitoes intent of devouring the group of red robed intruders before they even reached the pyramid. The bugs also swarmed at Alex and the curator, but left Imhotep and the woman at his side alone. Maybe they didn't like the way they tasted.

Still cursing the mosquitoes, the lead soldiers stumbled into a clearing. There was an open area, a few stunted trees with large cages dangling, woven wooden structures with near skeletal bodies inside. From the poses, the people had perished inside, wracked with torment. Maybe they had died of hunger or thirst... Alex looked around, seeing other bodies in similar conditions tied to posts, skulls dangling from poles in the entire area that was lit by the torches. It wasn't a graveyard, that would require the bodies to have been put to rest. They were still out, reminding Alex horribly of someone's toys left out while they went into another room.

There was another noise now, a low gurgling growl. The noise was coming from the underbrush all around them, and there was something almost like a clicking or chittering that accompanied it. Alex didn't like either noise, they made his skin crawl.

Alex actually pulled loser to the red robed guard as they walked through the clearing. Yes, the man had been harsh, mocking him the whole trip, but... he was human. He wouldn't really lock him in a cage to starve to death, if he could, Alex would simple be dead.

As they walked through the place of cages and corpses, Alex felt himself shuddering. Whatever had done this hadn't been human. Looking at the bodies in horrified fascination, he identified the tattered remnants of uniforms from Napoleon's army, and a few that wore the tattered garb of the Roman legions. Something had captured these soldiers, once part of the finest armies of their times, and brought them here, tormenting them until their deaths. A tiny voice from deep inside was whispering that the 'something' responsible was still here, still waiting and watching from the darkness.

And they wanted new toys.

Ahead, the leader of the guards was conferring with the curator. Somehow, Alex knew that they were discussing how much longer he would be useful to them. From the looks of the way they were smiling, he didn't think it was very much longer.

Taking a breath to steady his nerves, he twisted away from the guard, leaping into the underbrush and running away, ahead. Towards the pyramid that he could somehow feel, like a tugging at his wrist.

With angry shouting, the curator directed the guards. *Fan out! Eyes open! Guns up! Find the boy!*

The guards spread out, guns and torches raised as they looked through the growth of ferns and grasses that rose to their shoulders. The only sounds had been that weirdly unnerving growling noise. As they spread, a wind picked up, a cold wind that carried fear with it. Something terrible was watching them, and it was preparing to strike.

end part 39

Elsewhere in the jungle, Rick and Ardeth looked over the jungle. They had paused on a cliff, hoping to catch their breath and take the chance to look around and be certain they were going in the right direction. Evie was checking over the few weapons they had with them. The sounds of birds and crickets had died, the chirping and peeping of tiny frogs had also faded. The only noises that carried through the jungle air were the nearly imperceptible sounds of the dozens of waterfalls.

"Do you hear that?" Rick's voice was filled with tension as he looked at the jungle.

Ardeth looked over at him. "Hear what?"

"Nothing. Everything's quiet." It was obvious that Rick had been in enough situations to know that when all the wildlife fell quiet, something was wrong.

Willow sat there, trying to feel for the thread that connected her to Alex. He was alive, and didn't feel like he was injured, but... there was still a feeling of something wrong. She could also get a feeling on which way he was, to the east. With a smile, it dawned on her that even if she couldn't tell Imhotep's evil apart from the evil of the oasis, she could still feel Alex. And since Imhotep had Alex...

Jonothan was poking at the vines growing on the back of the cliff. "Oh, shrunken heads. How do they do that anyhow?"

Willow's first reaction was to smile, the question so much like one that she would ask. Her smile faltered though. "What sort of heads, and umm... who shrunk them?"

Jonothan gave a small frown. "Human heads, naturally. But I don't really know who did it, but there are rather a good number of them."

Willow frowned, trying to figure out what she was sensing from the energies of the oasis. Something had changed, shifted. Years of living on the hellmouth had taught her that when energy currents shifted in an evil place, it boded trouble. "It's starting."

Ardeth looked over, his eyes dark with worry and something else. "What's starting?"

All she could do was shake her head. "I don't know. But it's bad, dangerous. I think... it's just a guess, but remember how I said this place is probably inhabited? I think whatever made those shrunken heads is awake and about to cause some trouble."

Looking below them, they could see torches illuminating small patches of ferns and grasses, showing red robed men with guns. The soldiers of the Curator, of Imhotep. Standing very close to Imhotep was the woman in the dark gown, and she seemed almost comfortable in the oasis. Suddenly, one of the torches dropped down, the soldier seemingly pulled down into the plants.

Perhaps that had been the signal, because after that, the torches were falling quickly. There were loud noises, almost like monkey howls, but wrong somehow. Red robed figures scattered, some vanishing, others arcing in pain before falling into the ferns. Some of them began shooting, aiming into the undergrowth around them.

Rick and Ardeth were moving through the undergrowth, searching for Alex. Rick had a pair of pistols drawn, ready to fire if anything attacked. Ardeth was to his right, sword drawn as he moved forward. They were also reassured by the fact that Evie and Jonothan were up on the cliff with their rifles, ready to cover them if there was danger.

"Dad! Dad!" Alex's voice carried over the gunfire and screams.

Rick moved closer, grabbing Alex just as a towering figure in red swung his sword through where his son had been. Flinging Alex over his shoulder, he turned to head back to the cliff. Ardeth counted an effort by the red robe to try to attack while Rick's back was turned, and they battled, swords clashing with the ring of metal.

As Rick was running back to the cliff, the underbrush behind them was shaking, the angry chitterings coming closer. He got nearly to the base of the cliff, and turned, warned by Alex's cry. A thing burst from the underbrush, small and manlike with shriveled grey flesh stretched over bones. Hands ended in sharp little claws, and one hand held what looked like a blowpipe made from a hollowed arm bone. It screeched again, leathery lips pulling back over sharp teeth just as Rick fired his gun, causing it to explode into dusty chunks. A blur of motion made him fire again, this time at one of the creatures that had tried to attack from a tree, swinging on a vine towards them.

Joyfully, Rick stopped right at the base of the cliff, Evie flinging her arms around Alex, hugging him close to her. She was reassuring herself that her son was alive, that he was unharmed. Alex seemed just as glad to see her.

"What on earth were those creepy little pygmy things?" Jonothan's voice shook just a little, despite the way he'd

Rick gave a tired little smirk towards Jonothan. "Oh, just the local natives."

end part 40.


	4. parts 41 to 47  the end

Rushing back to the parking area, they discovered that Jonothan had broken the key to the car, and they would need an alternate form of transportation. He had grabbed one of the museum busses, something with plenty of room for all of them. They rushed onto the bus, Ardeth detouring just enough to grab the rest of the ammunition and a few more weapons from the back of the car. Willow tried to reassure herself that this wasn't a complete disaster, they had rescued Evie, nobody had been killed, she'd put up a barrier... But weren't busses a bit slow?

"Drive, and drive fast. The barrier won't hold them forever."

Jonothan started the bus forward with an awkward lurch, and they began moving away from the museum. Howls could be heard from the museum, and Willow could feel the minions pounding against the barrier, feel it shudder every time they struck it, not from the physical force of it, but from the magic that had animated them. If Imhotep decided to break the barrier, it would fall quickly. Nobody complained about Jonothan's uneven driving, or the way the speed and bumps in the road made the bus lurch, almost throwing them to the sides.

There was a sudden crash of destructive magics against the barrier, and Willow felt it snap, the snapping of it back lashing to her, her face going pale as she dropped to the floor of the bus. "He broke the barrier... they're going to be after us."

"Willow? Are you... you look unwell." Concern was laced through Ardeth's voice.

There was a moment of quiet, and then the plants began to rustle again, little chitterings and growls that made it clear that there was something out there, and whatever was there was dangerous. The insects were still silent, the air ominously still, and scented with the bitter smoke from the torches that had fallen to the ground.

"They aren't going to give up that easily." Willow hated to have to say it, but she would be far more unhappy if those things-that horde of undead pygmies-swarmed them because they thought they'd gone away.

Evie looked over, her eyes still white ringed with fright from the rescue of Alex. "Is there any good news that you can share with us?"

"Mum, I have to get to the temple! He said if I'm not there by the time the sun falls on it, I'll die!"

"Temple? Which way to the temple?" Jonothan sounded almost numb, as if he was bordering on shock.

Gesturing towards the pulsating mass of evil and complex spells that she could feel, looming like some massive giant, Willow spoke. "That way, and I think we should hurry."

The first little nasty emerged from the shrubbery, this one holding a sharp knife chipped from stone in one clawed hand.

It was as if they had suddenly been hurled from a catapult, the way they went from horrified stillness to frantic flight. Their feet pounded on the earth, and the leaves of the plants beat at them, seeking to wrap around and cling, to slow their passage.

In the scramble, Willow and Ardeth got separated from the others, the path they were on suddenly no longer the same as the one that Evie and Rick were on. They'd also lost sight of Jonothan.

"How do we kill those things?" Ardeth's voice was low, as if he was thinking out loud.

Willow licked lips gone dry with fear. "I think... just about anything would work if you could hit them." Willow glanced at him. "But I think there's going to be a lot of them, so we should keep running towards the amazing mass of evilness that is the temple."

A deep gulley opened before them, and they had no choice but to try to leap across, hoping, praying that there was something slightly safer ahead. Ardeth made the jump, turning in time to see Willow do something that made her eyes glow, and she moved forward-farther than her jump had carried her-and one foot touched down at the edge of the gulley... right before the ground crumbled under her foot. She slipped, a small squeak emerging and Ardeth reached out, grabbing her wrist to pull her to solid ground.

"Thanks." She wanted to put so much more into the word, but... Now certainly wasn't the time for a declaration that she thought she was falling in love with him, even if it was more like had fallen, and she had no idea how he'd feel about that. "Almost feels like Sunnydale was safer after all..."

As they kept running, there was a screeching noise, and one of the grey skinned undead pygmies leapt at them. Willow almost snarled a word in Latin, and flung a yellow green ball of flame at the creature. It began to shriek, jumping around frantically, and they kept running. Willow's gaze flickered back at the creature, now frantically rolling on the ground in an effort to extinguish the flames.

"Okay, fire freaks them out, but it doesn't seem to be killing it. Or making it fall apart, since it's already dead and all..." The worry in her voice was easy to hear. "And they have a lot of relatives out there."

They kept running, going towards the towering mass of ancient evil. They could both feel the pyramid, and that prevented them from losing their way and getting lost in the jungle, which would have been a short fate. Getting lost would have allowed the pygmy things to find and kill them. The breath was burning in Willow's lungs and it was only Ardeth's hand on her arm that let her continue.

They finally broke out of the underbrush, into an open courtyard lined with statues of human headed crouching rams facing what looked like miniature obelisks of some dark stone. The sand was scuffed and it looked as if there had been some sort of fight, especially since there were blood spots.

And Evie's unmoving body lay on the sand. The sight of it was like a punch to Willow's stomach, and she stared, a soft noise that wasn't quite a whimper spilling from her lips. "Evie?"

The sunlight filled the area with bright light, which reflected on the sand. The blood looked far too dark, too... final. The sense of evil and power that were so thick that they could taste them in the air.

end part 41.

"Can anything be done for her?" Ardeth's voice was low, the words almost pulled from him by something.

Willow didn't even turn, her eyes caught by the raw pain and grief in the scene before them. "She's dead. Unless you have some way to raise the dead or turn back time... how could you do anything?"

"Raise the dead..." Jonothan looked at her, his eyes slowly regaining reason instead of raw pain and shock.

"Willow, you're brilliant!" Alex's shout startled everyone, and he darted off, words of 'the book' pouring forth as he vanished into the pyramid.

Something flared from deep inside the pyramid, some dark power that made Willow and Ardeth shiver. It was like a winter wind had passed near them, leaving the air disrupted.

"There will be a battle... I should be with my people." His eyes were dark and frantic as Ardeth whispered.

Willow looked at him. While she would rather have him with her, stay at his side, she understood the need to face the danger. It was the same thing that Buffy had always done. "Can you... Can you form that link with someone there? If you can... if they can... sort of be an anchor to pull you there? I've been practicing teleportation, but I... I wouldn't want to risk you getting hurt. If we can get an anchor to sort of catch you? It should work..."

"Yes... I can try to form the link. Are you certain that you can move something the size of a man? I am much bigger than a crossbow." His eyes were filled with hope.

"Absolutely. Besides, with someone to catch you, it won't be as hard as moving you all by myself, and you'll know where you'll go." She told him, trying to hide her worries. She could move him, but would she still be awake afterwards? How exhausted would the spell leave her? No, she didn't want him to know about those doubts. She wouldn't let her weakness prevent him from his sacred duty.

He pulled the knife and bit of dried Aloe again, and formed his link. When he looked up, there was a glimmering of magic in his eyes. "Send me. We do not have much time, I fear."

Willow wrapped him in her power, feeling the threads that bound him to the other Medjai, golden as the sunlight on the sand, the pale blue or deep cerulean of the open sky, the cool green of an oasis... They would catch him, make sure he arrived safely. She pushed him towards them, following their threads of power. He would arrive there, guided by the link, his landing made safe by their skill.

"Be as careful as you can, Ardeth Bey..." Her whisper followed the whooshing sound that the air made as it closed in on the place where Ardeth had stood a heartbeat ago.

Her head spun and throbbed, and something tickled at her lip. She was on her knees in the sand, and wasn't quite certain when that had happened. She'd been standing before the spell. Reaching up, she wiped at it with the back of her hand, the resulting smear of blood looking horribly bright.

She looked up to see Jonothan carrying Evie's body into the pyramid, Rick having already vanished.

"Well... it looks like this is going to be an indoor occasion." She lurched to her feet, trying to keep up with Jonothan. She had no idea what he intended to do with Evie, but it couldn't be worse than staying out here.

Outside the Oasis of Amon-Shere, the small group of Maji that had gathered to discuss the options blinked. When Ardeth had contacted them, they had wanted him to be there with them, to fight alongside his people. His claim that the sorceress with him could send him there had been met with concern and doubt. But they'd told him that if she could send him at least half the distance, they could ensure his safe arrival.

They hadn't expected the rush of power, green as growing things, sparkling with flecks of sun-bright gold and deep shadows. The sense of power had left them almost breathless, and they had 'caught' Ardeth, bringing him safely into the tent, his body reforming to the pattern of his essence. The feeling was of focused wind, directed by will, unaccompanied by the echo of ancient ritual, or the scent of herbs.

"Ardeth... so good of you to join us." Khalim's voice was dry, but there was a trace of humor to it.

Ardeth rose to his feet, straightening his robes. "My place is with my people. It is almost certain that the Army of Anubis has either just been released or will be shortly. I am a Medjai, I will fight and die with my people."

end part 42.

Imhotep and Anak-Su-Naman entered the depths of the pyramid, moving confidently towards the heart of it, the lair of the Scorpion King. Soon, he would pass the Sacred Place, and after the Shrine, he would face the Scorpion King to determine who would control the Army of Anubis. He would rule the world, with Anak-Su-Naman at his side at last.

He felt nothing but confidence as he walked closer, descending along a ramp of sandstone, torches burning and the light flickering off gleaming gold. That confidence did not waver until he passed between the Columns of Judgment. The tendrils of dark power reached out, seizing him, reaching deep into his being, and they froze, they pulled, it hurt. The breath from his lips and lungs was ripped away, as was the warmth from the sun. His pride would not have allowed him to scream, even if the breath had remained in his lungs, considering it beneath the dignity of a Priest of Anubis. He could see nothing but darkness, and the cloud dispersed, carrying shimmering sparkles of gold light with it. He felt so weak...

Reaching his hand towards the gleaming golden offerings, the platters and incense boxes, he tried to pull something to him with the sorcerous power that he'd mastered so long ago. He watched as the large platter trembled, but it stayed on the alter. Nothing flew into his hand. Nothing.

*It seems that Anubis wishes me to face the Scorpion King as a mortal.* He tried to conceal the feeling that crept through him, to dismiss it as yet another tendril of the cold that had been left in place of his power.

But it wasn't simply the absence of heat. It was fear... or dread. He knew that his abilities as a mortal would not be sufficient to defeat the Scorpion King. He would need another plan by the time he faced him.

A vast doorway of elaborately carved stone was the only way across a deep chasm that let oddly scented smoke into the air, the writings on it warning of the power of Anubis, the might of the Scorpion King. Warned that this place was guarded by the King of Scorpions.

Reaching to lift a weapon, he looked across the empty space to the place where he would find himself facing the Scorpion King. *This is my destiny*

Anak-Su-Naman grabbed his arm, her eyes wide with emotion. *No... you must not! The danger...*

*I must do this, my love.* Turning, Imhotep began his descent to the lair of the King of Scorpions.

Elsewhere in the pyramid, the Curator had found the golden bracelet, feeling it's power. While he didn't know why it had been abandoned in the sands, he could make use of it. He wanted power, and here it was, glittering before him. He smiled as he grabbed it, snapping it closed on his wrist as he entered the pyramid.

There would be more power within.

He came to a room, undoubtedly the first impassable barrier to prevent the power of this place from being taken. The floor seemed dark at a casual glance, but at the same time, it seemed to ripple... With horror, he realized that it was covered with scorpions. One hand clutched at his throat, dread of the crawling things chilling him, while the other was flung out, as if to gesture them to stay away.

The teeming horde of scorpions were pushed away, and began to retreat into a deep cleft in the floor, crossable by a simple bridge.

Crossing the narrow bridge, he entered a corridor. It had a high ceiling, and the remains of old torches lined the halls. It must have been awe inspiring then, gleaming light and golden stone... But now it was cold and dark.

The hallway lead to a large open area at the corner of two halls. A large shape of gold and bronze covered most of the wall, looking almost like a scorpion, but somehow more terrible. There was a hole in the center, slightly larger in diameter than his fist. With a deep breath, he plunged his fist into the hole, hoping that the gleaming bracelet would protect him.

There was a faint noise, like something moving, and his hand was seized by a terrible pain, like a thousand sharp needles and a terrible heat that burned and itched and there was something scraping... He screamed, tugging at his hand even as a wave of something-some energy-spread forth, transforming the grey stone to golden sandstone. The torches flaring to life, the whole place looking more alive, more welcoming. His hand didn't hurt anymore, leaving only an only raw throbbing sensation.

He pulled his hand out, the sense of wrongness growing. He gasped at the sight of the desiccated skeletal hand below the bracelet. His flesh was gone, stripped from the bones but for a few tattered shreds... the bones darkened as if from the passing of many years. The sight was horrible. He began to shake at the sight, his whole arm beginning to feel numb.

"Small problem?" The voice of Rick O'Connell sounded behind him, a voice filled with anger.

Still clutching his arm with the hand that had remained whole, he gasped and darted down the hallway, certain that things were wildly out of his control. This was not how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to gain enough power to rule the world, or at least a part of it, not become crippled in a remote corner of the ancient world, with nobody to obey him or offer any aid. Imhotep would be able to fix this, and surely the undead owed him...

end part 43.

Jonothan carried Evie after Alex, a sharp pain inside him as she lay still, unmoving in his arms. Alex thought that they could use the Book of the Living to bring her back, to restore her to life. He wanted to believe that it could work, wanted his sister back so badly that that hurt as well. There was just one small problem... "You do realize that this can only be done by someone that can actually read ancient Egyptian, right?"

The hallway came to a wall, leading off to either side. Carved hieroglyphs decorated the walls, and patterns underneath that might have been merely decoration underscored them. Alex paused a moment. "We go right."

"How do you know?" He shifted Evie, feeling as if something inside was cracking.

Alex spoke a few words, things that sounded almost familiar but not. "Basically, it says this way to the Scorpion King." He paused, looking up with eyes that were soft with tears. "Mum taught me."

Jonothan followed, hope welling up inside. Of course Evie had taught him, and Evie... "This just might work."

They came to an open area, and it was apparent that there was something important through the doorway, the imposing carvings that framed the portal made that clear. Firelight flickered, and he could hear the dull roaring noise. "They went through there. If we can distract them long enough to grab the book..."

Carefully, he lowered Evie to the ground, his mind trying to form a plan. Peeking through the doorway, he saw the woman standing at the top of a ramp, the book beside her on what looked like a pedestal.

"I'll distract her, you grab the book." He whispered to Alex, hoping that he could keep her busy long enough.

Taking a breath for courage, he waited until Alex had slipped into the open area, disappearing from sight before he stepped into the area. He raised his hands into his best boxing form, trying to look fearsome "You... This is for my sister."

It turned out that his best boxing form didn't intimidate her at all. She gave this annoyingly condescending smile, pushing at his hand with surprising strength. Her smile grew wider, showing the tips of pointed teeth, and she gave a little hissing chuckle before raising one hand, swatting casually at his face. Her golden nails raked over his cheek, leaving burning trails of pain. She pushed him again, knocking him into the wall, where he slid down, feeling oddly short of breath. She then gave that same condescending smile, waved her fingers in a casual goodbye, and turned from him, walking away as if he was nothing.

Using the wall for support, he pulled himself to his feet, feeling unexpectedly dizzy. How hard had he hit the stone? Carefully, he staggered back to the place where he'd left Evie. Alex knelt beside her, the book in his hands as the tears streamed down his cheeks. Willow knelt beside him, looking pale and shaking a bit as she murmured something.

"She isn't human, Jonothan. I'm not sure if that was incredibly brave of you to face her like that or incredibly foolish..." Willow smiled at him, her eyes filled with emotions and memories. "Sit down, you look a bit wobbly. Let me fix those scratches before you get a nasty infection."

Willow ran her fingers over the welts, murmuring soft words in what he thought might be Gaelic, and it felt as if they were in the sunshine, a moment of almost painful warmth, and then they felt cool. The dizziness retreated, and he felt much better, although still a bit embarrassed by his dismal showing. She seemed to almost collapse back into a seated position, her skin pale, tremors running over her body. "whoa... got to rest a bit... no more magic or I'll pass out."

Alex opened the book, reading the ancient words slowly in a voice that shook with pain. Willow rested a hand on one shoulder, and Jonothan put a hand on the other shoulder, offering his support and hopes that this would go well. It felt almost as if something was tugging at him, pulling at his stomach, and he gasped, looking at Willow's eyes, wide with shock and astonishment.

There was a small gasping noise, and Evie arched up, gasping for breath, her eyes now open, wild with fear and uncertainty. "Alex... Jonothan... where?"

"Alex used the book to bring you back." Willow's voice was soft, breathy. Her eyes looked black, and Jonothan wasn't certain if it was just from her pupils being dilated. "Imhotep and Anack are through there... looking for the Scorpion King." One hand waved weakly towards the doorway.

"You look... rather dreadful actually." Evie sat up, one hand touching her stomach hesitantly.

Willow tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. "Too much magic. I think I'll just sit here... I have no idea where Rick is, Imhotep's in there trying to gain control over the evil accursed general for Anubis, the evil undead army is outside where Ardeth and the other Medjai are prepared to fight to the death to stop them... You aren't dead anymore... Just like old times, only more sand."

Jonothan hugged Evie, pulling her close, wanting to feel her in his arms, to know that she ws alive again. "It's good to have you back, sis."

"Then you may all die together." The cold voice of Anack-Su-Naman rang into the room, sending chills down his spine.

Evie pulled back a bit, rising to her feet and pulling a pair of curving Egyptian daggers from a statue. "Jonothan, take Alex and help Rick."

"What about you?" His voice was a bit unsteady. He didn't want to lose his sister twice in one day.

There was something hard and angry in Evie's eyes as she faced the other woman. "I'll be just fine."

end part 44.

Rick hefted the ax, the double blades shimmering bronze, reflecting the torchlight as he hurried down the hallway. Imhotep and his girlfriend were in here, and he intended to make them pay for Evie. He dismissed the curator, knowing that he would never be able to escape the Oasis, but that such a departure would be well within the abilities of Imhotep. That damn mummy should just stay dead.

The hallway opened along a wall, a smaller entrance to a grand open area with massive pillars and elaborately carved walls. Fire burned everywhere, torches, braziers, big pots of fire. Something else, a dark, somehow menacing reddish light came from a large crack in the floor. There was a loud clanging noise, the sound of someone repeatedly hitting a gong. It carried, echoing through the hall, probably well outside. He almost imagined that the fires flickered in time with the reverberating sound.

Moving closer, he jumped the crack, a wave of dizziness slamming into him over it, making his wobble and almost fall backwards into it. Instinct screamed at him, demanding he get away from the crevasse, that something very, very bad lay inside it. He moved towards the noise, seeing Imhotep, looking entirely whole and human, dressed only in one of those little Egyptian kilt-skirt things and a sash, beating at a gong.

His face twisting with anger, he charged at him, axe raised high. Something must have alerted Imhotep, because he turned, blocking the axe with the wrapped staff that he'd stuck the gong with. Rick tried to press the axe, a corner of his mind insisting that this was one of the dumber things that he'd done. Imhotep shifted his footing, changing the angle of his pressure, and the axe flew back, both it and the mallet both flying into the crevasse. There was no sound of them striking anything.

He punched Imhotep, fist connecting to teeth and jaw through the thin layer of lip, drawing blood. Watching the other man wipe away that tiny red smear, he felt something, a fierce and angry hope raise inside him. If he was for some reason less indestructible, then he could make this hurt for the dead man. Smiling, he attacked again.

Imhotep pulled back, glaring as he spoke something that sounded serious and a bit threatening in that Egyptian of his.

The fight resumed, blows sending both of them staggering back. There were more weapons, axes, swords, and this long thing that Imhotep had grabbed that had a curving arched blade at each end. It was unlikely that they would both walk away from this alive. Rick glared back at the Egyptian, prepared to do anything to take him out. His resolve didn't waver even when the fight sent him crashing into one of the burning cauldrons, flaming oil spilling forth, the heat almost raising blisters on his back.

Something made the floor shake. There were booming noises, almost like giant footsteps echoing on stone. Rick had a sinking feeling that he really wouldn't like the source of those noises. There was this deep rumble, almost like a growl that had been made deeper, lower. He felt it in his bones, and they were not happy.

It came into view, not remotely human, despite a face that seemed human, a torso that was almost like a man's. The fact that instead of hands there were great pincers and that the human like torso merged into the body of a scorpion large enough to dwarf an elephant removed any sense of humanity. Even larger pincers were attached to the scorpion body, easily large enough to cut a man in half. From the rear, an enormous stinger rose, the wickedly curved tip gleaming with venom. This could only be the Scorpion King.

"This is bad."

He found himself gripping the axe in his hand more tightly, even as he stepped back, almost bumping into one of the pillars. That thing... it wasn't human. It was terrifying.

Imhotep's eyes had grown very wide as well. Carefully, he backed away, until with a sudden forceful gesture, he flung away the halves of the double bladed thing, falling into a position like a crouching bow, arms crossed in front of his chest as he shouted something.

The Scorpion King paused, and pulled the claws back a bit. After a pause, it... he spoke, saying something in the same language, most likely the Ancient Egyptian.

After a pause, Imhotep nodded his head, and then gestured towards Rick, his words sounding angry. Rick had the oddest feeling that he'd just said something along the lines of 'he did it, not me.'

The Scorpion King turned towards him, an angry look on his face, and Rick knew that he was in trouble. That was all the warning he had as the Scorpion King moved towards him, claws snapping, the massive stone pillars shattering as Rick frantically dodged the huge pincers.

Rick turned, running down the hall, desperately hoping for something, anything to give him a way out of this. He came to a halt beside some large wall carvings, gleaming gold accenting them. There was a figure with a mark on his wrist, the same mark that was on his own arm, and it held Jonothan's golden scepter thing. The next figure showed the scepter becoming a spear, and the one after that showed the spear-scepter embedded in a man with the hieroglyph of the Scorpion King.

Ardeth's words of fate and destiny echoed in his mind, and he looked again at the mark on his wrist and at the wall. "Okay, now I believe."

He passed the shuffling form of the Curator, confident that the Scorpion King could drop that man easily enough. He didn't turn to watch, knowing that he had to find Jonothan, had to find the scepter-spear. Rick didn't see as the Scorpion King seized the curator, tearing him apart with the huge claws.

There, at the end of the hall! Jonothan and Alex, eyes wide, the golden scepter in Jonothan's hand.

He began shouting, hoping that they would hear him, hoping that his words would make sense to them.

end part 45.

Willow watched, her vision a bit fuzzy around the edges as Evie faced Anack-Su-Naman. They both held matching sets of curving blades that reminded her of Japanese sais. Maybe if they lived through this, she could ask what the name of the weapons was in ancient Egypt... Evie moved a bit differently, confident, wary, but with the grace and balance of a warrior. Her aura had shifted a bit, still Evie, but also... a bit different. Almost like she'd aged several years during those long minutes of being dead. Willow could feel herself trembling, shaking with the exhaustion of pushing her magic.

She had two options, she could sit here practically helpless, praying that Evie won and nothing else dangerous found her, or she could try to gather a bit of power. She gave a small snort at the idea. She was sitting in the inside of an evil temple to an ancient scary god whose undead army had just been released, having chased a mummy and his inhuman girlfriend across the globe. Of course there would be something else that was dangerous. Closing her eyes, she opened herself a little bit, trying to pull in a little of the energy of the place, hoping that she could filter out some of the raw power, claim it as her own. Surely, as much energy as there was in this place, a little bit so that she could stand, walk, run away if need be would never be noticed?

Blades flashed in the flickering fire light, metal hissing and clanging as the women became a dizzying blur of motion. Anack-Su-Naman spoke to Evie in the old language, the words almost clear to Willow as she sat there, open to the power of this place, watching the fight with worry. She felt like this was all the echo of some older, earlier fight. Were they just repeating some dreadful pattern over and over again? Had Evie connected with an Egyptian ghost? She could almost see them, both clad in glittering gold and short wraps of linen, kohl making their eyes long and exotic as a man in royal robes sat on his throne... Voices whispered, chanting filled the air, the echoes of the spells in the construction of this pyramid, the deeper voice that shook her bones repeating the words that formed the Oasis.

Willow could feel it soaking into her, the burning heat of the desert sands, the brightness of the light like a hammer, the biting dryness of the wind, the scouring of the sandstorm, the burning venom of the scorpion... This was a mistake. She shouldn't have opened herself to these magics, they were older, more powerful than anything that she'd encountered, more powerful than any mortal...

She tried to gather her will, to force the images to slow. She would not loose herself in this. She'd helped close a Hellmouth, she'd restored a soul, she'd faced Glory. She wasn't about to let the residual Egypt-ness of this power drown her! Gasping for breath, she stood up, watching the women stare at each other for a long moment before they turned and bolted down the passage towards the Scorpion King.

Willow followed them, feeling the rage of something that had become attuned to the power in these walls. Whatever it was, it was old, and powerful, and not human.

This angry something... it was linked... linked to many lesser somethings far away... outside the Oasis... With a start, she realized that the angry something was the Scorpion King, and the lesser somethings were the individual soldiers in the Army of Anubis. The web of power that lurked behind the stones was clear to her, she could read all of it...

Evie was wrestling again with Anack-Su-Naman, at the top of the ramp down to the place where Rick stood, facing the Scorpion King. Imhotep was there as well, the webs of his presence somehow changed, dulled. There was no magic inside of him now...

Willow closed her eyes and tried to follow one of the threads of power that lead to one of the soldiers. She couldn't influence it, couldn't control it, but with a jolt, she could see where it was, see the sands gleaming in the sunlight, watch things move by in a rush of speed as it charged in a line of thousands of other soldiers towards a line of dark robed men. The Medjai stood ready to fight the Army of Anubis.

She wrenched herself away with a lurching, stomach twisting jolt, unwilling to watch as Ardeth's people fought those things, unable to take the chance of seeing this Soldier fight Ardeth. It would hurt too much to see something happen to him. But they were there, ready to fight.

Jonothan finally made the scepter into a spear, the parts that had been tucked inside shooting out. He said something, gesturing for Alex to stand back, and hurled the spear towards Rick. Unfortunately, Imhotep stood up, grabbing the gleaming spear from the air with a triumphant smile.

Willow looked away, knowing that this strange awareness of the power inside the temple would keep her aware of how that struggle turned out. She looked at Evie and Anack-Su-Naman, hoping that the ancient Egyptian got beaten to a little pulp.

She felt the jolt that went through the fabric of the magic as the spear struck the Scorpion King, felt the power rip as the Scorpion King died. It hurt, feeling almost as if something inside of her had been ripped. The power trembled, and the threads of the soldiers unraveled, the Army falling to dust. The temple began to shake.

"This is going to be very bad." Her words fell unheeded into the room, unnoticed as the walls began to shake, the ceiling developing cracks that released jagged spikes of stone to plummet onto the bridge. A dusty hand emerged, griping the ramp. Soon, it was apparent that both Rick and Imhotep were trying to struggle their way out of the chasm, impeded by the somethings that filled it. They weren't quite undead, they weren't quite spirits, and they weren't quite in this world, but they were close enough to all three to try to drag the men down with them.

Evie screamed for Rick, charging across the ramp as more jagged stones fell, grabbing her husband to help pull him up, struggling to save him.

Anack-Su-Naman stood by the doorway, her eyes wide and frightened, looking at Imhotep as he called to her, hoping for the same aid that his rival was receiving from his beloved. Anack-Su-Namun shook her head, screaming a denial before she turned to flee. Imhotep watched this with wide eyes filled with pain and shock.

Willow understood his expression. Everything that he'd done had been for that... woman, he'd broken laws, defied his king, his gods all for her. Now, she was rejecting him. The pain from that had to be almost as bad as the curse that had been inflicted on him by the Pharaoh's priests. He released the ramp, pushing himself backwards, deliberately plummeting into the chasm. If he could not have his beloved, he did not want to live.

She felt tears well up at the depths of his emotions. Yes, he was evil, and yes, he was very dangerous. But to have loved that deeply... She couldn't let his soul be torn to shreds by the what-evers in that chasm. Reaching out with the power of this pyramid, she pulled his spirit away from his flesh, the bonds already weakening. The soul slid from her grasp, pulled away to face... whatever the afterlife brought. Perhaps judgment, perhaps he would be reincarnated, perhaps nothingness, although Willow preferred to think that there would be something that awaited him. She sent a last whispered thought towards him, uncertain if he would hear. "I will remember the depths of your love."

Running with the others, they made their way out of the pyramid, leaves and twigs carried on a wind rushing into the heart of the pyramid. As they ducked out, they beheld a terrifying sight - the whole oasis seemed to be swirling through the air, uprooted and being sucked into the pyramid. Leaves were joined by trees, and the undead pygmies, all being sucked inside.

"We've got to get up! This whole place is being sucked down!" Rick's shout carried, and they began a frantic climb to the top of the pyramid, hoping to escape.

They scrambled upwards, reaching the top of the pyramid, Evie and Alex both clinging to the bronze Scorpion that topped the pyramid, fearful that the whirling winds would snatch them up, dragging them into the heart of the pyramid as well. Something was out there, something that wasn't touched by the power of Ancient Egypt.

With a glad shout, Rick waved frantically for Izzy to bring the dirigible closer. They began scrambling aboard, although they almost lost Jonothan. In the end, they got a wonderful view of everything being sucked into the temple before a powerful wind blew them upwards, hurtling through the sky and away from the place the Oasis had been.

There was frantic rejoicing from Jonothan and Izzy as they realized that they'd made it, they'd survived. Evie gave Izzy several delighted kisses, so happy that he'd arrived at just the right time to carry them away. She then went to Rick, murmuring what could only be the post averted Apocalypse 'I love you's and 'I was so worried's. They looked so happy together. Looking over the side, Willow noticed a single figure. Ardeth Bey, mounted on his black horse, watching at the dirigible carried them all away. She felt inescapably sad at the sight, one hand reaching towards him, only able to watch as he grew smaller with distance.

end part 46.

Several hours later, the dirigible landed at a small town. Izzy had been insisting that it needed some proper repairs, and honestly, the whole group of them would be quite happy to stop, to rest and unwind a bit. Food, bath, and rest... the idea sounded almost heavenly.

She found herself almost understanding the words of the villagers. As if she knew a language that was close to the one they spoke. But she'd never learned any of the Egyptian languages. There was a broken obelisk in the center of the town square, and she found herself staring at it, part of her seeing it as it had once been, tall, gleaming in the sun, the sacred words carved deep into its base, proclaiming to all that this was part of the Lands of the Two Kingdoms. She whispered the words as her fingers traced the weathered hieroglyphs.

Understanding dawned for her. She'd dosed herself with more than magic inside that temple, she'd dosed herself with Egypt. Not the land as it was now, but the echoes of the land that the Scorpion King had walked, the land that Imhotep had lived within. She knew the Sacred Writings, knew the sound of the words, the legends of their gods, the rituals of their kings... "What have I done?"

"Willow? I had hoped to find you again." Ardeth's voice pulled her attention back to here and now. "It is good to see that you are well."

"It's good to be well. It was a very close thing... Too close. I'm sorry about your people... I know there must have been loses to the Army." She reached towards him, the fingers that had just been resting on the hieroglyphs brushing lightly over his sleeve.

"I had wanted to talk to you, but..." He sighed, shaking his head with a small smile. "I found it easier to face the Army. To face near certain death. But there are things... questions that I have for you."

"We could go to the small pool that's two... three small dunes past the market, and talk in peace?" She offered slowly, part of her wondering HOW she knew there was a pool of water, let alone where it was.

They walked there slowly, neither speaking. Willow sighed, savoring the feeling of Ardeth Bey, wishing that she could stay with him. She cared about him far more than she should, especially considering that she was not from here. Could she fit in among his people? Assuming that he'd want her to try... But she didn't mention any of that.

"How did you know this pool was here?" He reached out, his fingers touching the back of her hand.

She looked up, for a moment loosing herself in his eyes. "I... I'm not sure. I did something rather foolish, back there. I opened myself to the magic, and it did... something. I knew the pool was here, I know what the carvings on the broken obelisk say. I just... I wish I knew what this meant in the long run."

"It means that Egypt lives within you now. It will be a home to you, always. Perhaps... perhaps you would stay?" His hand had moved, touching her hair, almost touching her cheek.

She looked at him, trying to memorize the sight of him, feeling how he belonged here, how he fit into the pattern of this land. She smiled, inhaling the scent of him. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that sounded like a proposal of some sort."

"Perhaps it should be. Would you be willing to stay here for a time, to learn more of these lands, of... of my people? I must warn you that my family wishes very much to meet you." There was something in his eyes, as if there were more that he wanted to say but didn't quite dare voice.

Willow smiled, wondering if magically trained warriors became as nervous about emotions as normal guys, suspecting that Ardeth Bey was proof that they did indeed become stammering, awkward, blushing boys just like the rest of the male gender. "I think I'd like to meet your family, Ardeth Bey. I'd very much like to learn more about your people, more about you. Considering that I'm sure Rick and Evie only asked me to teach Alex as an excuse to keep an eye on me, I have nothing else planned for... oh, the rest of my life."

He smiled, and Willow felt as if her chest had become a little too tight. "Then come away with me... you shall be like a rose in the desert. I offer myself as your companion and guide for as long as you will have me."

"As long as I'll have you? What if I don't ever want to let you go?" She'd stepped closer, feeling the warmth of his body prickle over her, resting her hand on his shoulder as she looked into his eyes.

"Then I would be delighted to grow old and grey by your side." Leaning down, his lips brushed over hers.

She reached up, her fingers buried in his hair as she deepened the kiss, tasting him, savoring the feeling of this wonderful moment. Eventually, the kiss broke, leaving them pressed close together, arms wrapped around each other as they smiled into each other's eyes. "That sounds good to me."

end part 47.

End Time for Change.


End file.
